My Boss-Trevor Philips
by J4ck-0-L4nt3rn
Summary: Corey is a 19 yr old boy sent to stay w/his relatives in Sandy Shores while legal authorities are investigating his parents. While there he runs into Trevor and associates, and is quickly caught up in their insane, self-destructive lifestyle. He finds he can't escape and it's dangerous to try. Especially since he has skills Trevor finds will be useful in the biz. [Some slash] M/M
1. New Friend

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my OC. All GTA V characters belong to whoever they belong to, which isn't me, yadda yadda.

 **Summary:** Corey is a mute 19 year old boy sent to stay with his aunt and uncle in Sandy Shores while legal authorities are investigating his parents. While there he runs into Trevor and associates, and is quickly caught up in their insane, self-destructive lifestyle. He finds he can't escape and it's dangerous to try. Especially since he has skills Trevor finds will be useful in his business with Michael and his own personal shenanigans.

 **Warnings:** It includes Trevor, so inappropriate relations are bound to happen. But, seriously, there will be slash and probably some drug use (because, again: Trevor. And Wade.)

 **Ch.1  
New Friend**

Corey walked down the road, confusion a dull and constant irritant in his mind. This place was a shit hole. He'd not ever seen a place like this before. Even the ghettos where he lived with his parents weren't this ghetto. The whole place looked like a junk yard. Like this was the place where broken down, unlivable houses were dropped off to die. It made more sense to him why they never came to visit. And people _lived_ here. Even his uncle's house was disappointingly run-down and…not quite what you'd call a house, though it was better than some of the other places around.

Corey noticed a gas station ahead, right across the narrow street from a trailer. He raised an eyebrow and looked around for any other sign of businesses. It appeared again that this was a fluke. Neighborhoods and business districts were all mish-mashed together. House, store, trailer, empty lot, trailer, trailer, store, abandoned building. Corey sighed through his nose and looked around. He needed help. Where was the fucking mall? Nobody around looked very personable and well, without verbal communication, getting anyone's attention would be difficult. Most people worked with him, but there were others that didn't take him seriously when he handed them a written note. He groaned. As he neared the gas station, he looked at the trailer across from it. Even the yard looked like a junk yard. He wondered if anyone actually lived there. He turned and walked around to the front of the gas station. He would probably ask the clerk. That's what he thought tentatively anyway, but then he saw a young guy at the vending machine fighting with a dollar and stopped. He stared at him and considered. Then he decided to try him first. Sometimes peers were more forgiving (disgruntled employees didn't much like to entertain his vocal handicap); and he didn't look all that dangerous from what he could see.

Corey approached, tearing out his note. He cleared his throat and approached his side. The guy looked up at him. Corey mentally paused, taking him in. He looked a little rougher in the face than he was expecting and had quite a few piercings, including a high-profile one through his lip. His eyes darted over him and he blinked slowly. Corey couldn't help noticing the shadows under his eyes and the strange small red marks on his cheeks.

"Uh, you wanna get something? It's gonna be a second. I'm havin' trouble with the machine." Corey shook his head. The man talked with a little bit of a lisp. It wasn't the gay lisp, though. It sounded, well, unintelligent. Corey held up a finger, then beckoned for the dollar, tilting his head towards the machine. "Yeah, I couldn't get it to go in," he explained as Corey took it and found a corner to rub it on. It was crinkled all to hell. Corey wasn't sure if he could get it to take. But after a couple tries, he got it to feed through. "Thanks." Corey smiled at him and watched him clumsily push buttons after careful consideration. He bent at the waist to fish inside the drop-catch with only a slight bend in his knees. When he stood back up Corey handed him the note. "Huh?" He looked down and read it. "Yeah, I know where that is. Want me to take you? It's a little bit of a walk." Corey tilted his head and raised his eyebrows, but nodded. He really picked the winner. Found the one friendly in this town. Even if he was a bit odd.

Just like that they walked away from the gas station side by side, his guide knocking back a Faygo and chowing quietly on some nondescript vending machine candy bar. After he got himself satiated for the moment, the young man looked at him and asked, "So, you never been here before?" Corey confirmed with a shake of his head.

"That's cool. You just visiting?" Corey shook his head and motioned for him to stop as he scribbled on the notepad. "What's wrong? You got a sore throat or somethin'?" Corey smiled and chuckled. He handed him the note.

 __I'm staying with my aunt and uncle for a while. And no, I just don't talk.__

"Oh…so you can't talk, at all?" Corey shook his head. It might as well be true. He hadn't spoken since he was small. "Oh, wow, that must be tough." Corey shrugged. "Do you know anyone around here? Sides yer family I mean?" Corey shook his head. "Oh, well I could be your friend. If you want." Corey smiled with silent laughter and patted him on the shoulder. He gave a nod.

"My name's Wade. What's yer name?" Corey pointed at the brass tag on his collar around his neck and they stopped again. Wade squinted and leaned forward. Really close. Corey gradually tilted his chin up and to the side to give him room, but it looked to Corey as if Wade wasn't going to stop til he bumped him. But he didn't and began reading the tag out loud.

"Co-ree Whaaaite. Niceth to meet yew Corey." Corey nodded. "So whatcha goin' to the mall fer?" Corey shrugged and made a generalized gesture. "Just browsin'?" Corey nodded. "Well, it'sth not as good as in the city, but itsth got some neat stuff." Well, Corey hadn't been expecting anything amazing given the look of the place so far.

…

Corey wasn't sure what the hell he was looking at. He didn't know why Wade was leading him up to this shithole, but it clearly wasn't a mall. There was a clothing outlet, tattoo and piercing shoppe, a barber shoppe.

This dingy beat up building…was this town's idea…of a strip mall. What…the hell. Then there was a video store that looked like it sold various electronics too. Looked like it even still carried VHS. Wade turned to him. "Where yew wanna go?" Corey stared at his options, deciding that this hadn't even been worth it; however, they were there, he might as well poke around. Then he pointed to the clothing store. He hadn't packed much, so a shirt or two wouldn't hurt.

…

They went in and out of a few stores and Corey came away with a few good things. It didn't cost much. Five-finger discount n all. After Wade asked, "Didn't see anything ya laiked?" as they were walking away, Corey decided to let him in on the deal. Wade didn't look like square. In fact, it turned out that Wade was rather impressed, marveling at how he had had no idea. Corey smiled, feeling a little good about himself.

...

 **Continued in the next chapter!**


	2. Welcome to the Neighborhood!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my OC. All GTA V characters belong to whoever they belong to, which isn't me, yadda yadda.

 **Summary:** Corey is a mute 19 year old boy sent to stay with his aunt and uncle in Sandy Shores while legal authorities are investigating his parents. While there he runs into Trevor and associates, and is quickly caught up in their insane, self-destructive lifestyle. He finds he can't escape and it's dangerous to try. Especially since he has skills Trevor finds will be useful in his business with Michael and his own personal shenanigans.

 **Warnings:** It includes Trevor, so inappropriate relations are bound to happen. But, seriously, there will be slash and probably some drug use (because, again: Trevor. And Wade. And Ron.)

 **Ch.2  
Welcome to the Neighborhood**

Wade took him back up to the gas station again and trudged past it. "Thisth is it. Raight up here." Corey grimaced where he was pointing, but supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. He followed Wade through the small, cheap metal gate and up the porch stairs. He took a quick look around, and wondered with embarrassment who could live here.

"Trevorrrrrr?" Wade called. "I don't think he's here." He tip-toed almost comically with his arms held daintily out as if balancing as he went farther into the trailer and peeked around. "Oh well. He'll be back," he promised Corey. He paced back towards his new friend and went around the kitchen and turned the t.v. on. Corey glanced around at the mess. The place smelled strangely. It wasn't good. He couldn't discern most of it. Faintly smokey, with a trace of stale booze, and…he almost figured out another scent, but it slipped away.

 _Trevor, huh…_ Corey began feeling more awkward about being in someone else's house he'd never met before. It was obvious he was the owner and caretaker. Corey glanced at Wade contemplatively. "Why dontcha siddown?" Wade asked. Corey shrugged, then tentatively dropped down next to him. Oof. Oh definitely stale booze, Corey confirmed with wide-eyed realization and…some sort of body odor. Or was that Wade? Corey thought about leaning closer, but decided it was most likely the couch. Ew. He put his hands on his lap. Who knew what was soaked into the cushions. He wasn't sure he wanted it on him. Then Corey began wondering just what type of person Trevor was. Especially in context of everybody else he'd glimpsed in this town. Oh god. Just how awful was this man?

Then Corey glanced down at the magazine between his feet he'd been too unsettled and distracted to look at until that point. It lie half under the couch and Corey's eyes widened to note that it was a _Hustler_ magazine. Wouldn't they want to hide that? I mean, sure, neither of them were expecting company presumably, but normally people hide that stuff anyway or just keep it in their room at least. Corey discreetly heeled it under the couch, not without experiencing some guilty curiosity first.

Now he detected a faint hint of potpourri…or something like that. Wow…it was like a smell library of everything that had possibly happened on this couch. Corey thought of the magazine again. Oh man. A blush started to rise to his cheeks. What the hell? Wade seemed perfectly content though. Corey pulled a Snickers out of his pocket and nudged Wade, grunting softly with a raise of his eyebrows. "Oh thanks," he accepted and Corey pulled out another for himself. "So how'd you learn to do that stuff?" Wade asked while chewing. Corey shrugged and held the candy between his teeth while he scribbled down __Practice__. While Wade looked at it Corey slipped his hand into Wade's pocket and slid out his phone, turning it on. "Uh…heyyy," Wade said, eyes slowly lighting up in wonder. "What're yew doin with my phone?" Corey tapped quickly at the screen and momentarily handed it back to Wade. He pointed at the screen and Wade looked. "Oh cool. This's yer number?" Corey nodded and pulled out his own phone to save Wade's number from a text he'd just sent himself.

 __So who's Trevor?__ he typed and showed Wade. Wade squinted and took his time reading.

"Oh, Trevor's a real good friend of mine. He took me in when my other friends disappeared suddenly. He's been takin' care of me ever since." Corey raised his eyebrows.

 __That's cool.__ Maybe Trevor wasn't so bad. Wade wasn't all bad, in fact, though flawed, he presented fairly pleasant and nonaggressive. If he hung around this Trevor person and Trevor had taken it upon himself to care for him, maybe he was a pretty decent guy too.

"Yeah…"

 __How old is he?__

"Oh. I dunno. He's like…old, but not old, know what I'm sayin? Laiiiike, maybe in his forties?" Corey gave a big slow nod. So he was like a dad or an uncle kind of.

They sat for a while making more small talk, when suddenly there was a loud voice outside and car doors slammed. Corey's skin prickled. He nudged Wade and pointed to the door. "Oh. Yeah," he got up, "That's prolly Trevor." He went to the door. Feet stomped up the stairs and the door was thrown open, nearly clipping Wade in the face. Wade withdrew his reaching hand and stumbled back.

"Waaaade," the man greeted in a harsh, mocking tone.

"Hey Trevor. I fo—"

"And who is this?" Trevor asked, aggressively side-stepping around Wade. Corey jumped a little as the man's attention zeroed in squarely on him.

"Oh!" exclaimed a lighter, cleaner voice. A middle-aged man in a cream bucket hat, glasses, khaki shorts and sandals crept in behind Trevor and stared at him with what seemed like worry. _Who's that?_ Corey wondered, but didn't have much time to contemplate him. The man called Trevor was giving him full, heated attention and closing distance fast. Wade shuffled around, "Th-that's Corey. He's my new friend."

"Oh, your new friend, huh? Why haven't I seen him before?" Trevor's dark eyes swept over him, face to feet—or…hips. That's where it seemed like his gaze always ended before springing back up.

"Well, I only met him 'bout an hour ago." Trevor straightened up and slowly turned around.

"An hour ago…Wade… So you're telling me," he slowly stepped towards Wade. One foot…down…next foot…down… "That…you know _nothing_ about him…" Wade stumbled back.

"Not exactly Trevor. I know a couple thingsth. We been talkin' whi—"

"Is he even here to buy?"

"N-no. I don't think—"

"Dammit Wade! You imbecile!" He grabbed him by the shoulders and lowered his voice. "I'm doing things, Wade. _Great_ things, all of which could be ruined by _ONE_ asshole finding out too much." If Corey wasn't so nervous, he would have been a little offended.

"H-he could be a spy Trevor. You know how they work, they send i—"

"Shut up Ron." Corey's head was spinning. What the hell was going on? He needed to get out of there. This was too weird. But they were all standing too near the door. Corey quickly scribbled with a tremulous hand: _ _I didn't mean to intrude. I'm new and Wade helped me. I think he just wanted to introduce us. I can leave now.__ He ripped it out and his heart leapt as he stepped forward. He began extending the note out. Trevor whipped around and Corey jumped. Trevor looked down and snatched the offered note out of his hands, and read it; not without giving him a skeptical look first.

"Oh, yeah. He's a mutant." Trevor's eyes rolled up and he slowly stepped to turn around.

"I think you mean…he's _MUTE, WADE!_ "

"Oh, yeah, yeah that'sth what I meant." It was funny. Corey would laugh at it. Later.

"I don't suppose you can tell me more about what you're doin' in our neck of the woods."

"He's stayin' with his aunt and uncle." Trevor took a deep breath and let it out, but he didn't turn around.

"And, why, pray tell?"

"Uhh…" Trevor smirked. Corey jotted down.

 __Some trouble with my parents.__

"Hm." Trevor seemed to be calmer now, though Corey was still very uneasy. Trevor finally moved away from him and sauntered over to the fridge and cracked open a beer. He knocked it back and swallowed with an "Aaahh!" Corey tentatively pulled out his phone and texted Wade: _ _Should I leave?__ He put his phone away and gazed over to him. The dirty blonde shifted his weight slowly from one foot to the other, staring at Trevor. Corey continued staring at him…but nothing. Wade didn't react or seem to notice anything at all. Corey sighed heavily. Ron shuffled quickly to the kitchen near Trevor who set the beer down. The man began murmuring quietly to Trevor who didn't seem like he wanted any part in what he was saying.

"Oh, nah, it's alright." Corey jolted and looked to Wade who now had his phone out.

"What's alright?" Corey glanced fearfully to Trevor and shook his head, but the man was pacing over and snatching the phone out of Wade's hands. "Let's see he—…" he trailed off. "Oh, no. _Stay! Stay!_ I think we should all get acquainted better, don't you?" Corey stared dumbly at him. Trevor let the phone fall back into Wade's hands. "So!" Trevor turned around. "How long you staying with us here in _Sandy_ _Shores_?" Corey glanced at Wade who had moved closer to him, before pulling out his phone. _ _I don't know. It'll probably be a while. It's complicated.__

"He says: I don't know. It will prolly be a while. It's complicated."

"Ah. Isn't it always with family?" Corey's gaze shifted and he gave a minute nod. His bangs had fallen in front of his face and he felt a little safer. "Why don't you tell us more about that?" Corey stared at the floor and chewed his lip.

"He says: dad's arrested and mom's being investigated. She doesn't wanna watch me anyway. It was simpler to send me away."

"Ooh, ouch. And how do your aunt and uncle feel about this?"

"Uhhh… 'We're not really familiar with each other, so it's more out of obligation.'"

"Nice supportive family. I can relate to that." Corey peeked up nervously at him. He gave a small nod of acknowledgement. "But that's all behind me. I've got myself a new one right here. And it's wonderful—isn't it guys?"

"Y-yes Trevor. It's very nice."

"Sure is," Wade beamed.

"So fuck those guys," Trevor jabbed at Corey. Corey's eyebrows shot up. "Well I guess since you're already here, maybe we should give you a tour around the place. Sandy Shores is…my domain. I can show you things. Ron! Do I have anything else scheduled for today?"

"N-no Trevor."

"Great! Let's take our new friend around town. I'm feelin' a little restless." The man grinned. Corey shuddered.

...

Corey found himself in the front seat right next to Trevor. Wade and Ron were hanging on in the back. Corey gripped the seat nervously. Trevor went on and on about all the various places and people. Corey couldn't respond, for which he was grateful, but every now and then Trevor would look over and Corey would flash him a polite smile or nod or do whatever was appropriate.

They had passed by the shops he and Wade had been at, and with unparalleled genius, Wade blurted out that not only had they gone there, but that Corey had displayed his skills as a masterful thief. Corey's hair rose. Trevor questioned this and Wade confirmed it. Trevor almost seemed to congratulate him on his prowess and let him off lightly. Corey couldn't believe that he hadn't been reprimanded. Slowly relief set in as more time passed and he realized Trevor really wasn't going to scold him.

They made a couple of stops, but Corey found he couldn't really enjoy himself or what was going on, because he was too busy watching Trevor and getting ready to bolt if things turned ugly.

After the grand tour, Trevor drove them back to his trailer and Corey was profoundly relieved to be out of the vehicle. This was the part where he'd wave goodbye, run off to his temp-home and never come near this trailer again. He was in the clear. As he waited for his chance to bid them all a fond farewell, Trevor commanded Ron to take Wade somewhere—okay—and that he was going to speak to Corey alone.

Corey paled and froze up. Wait what? That wasn't how this was supposed to go. He wasn't staying here alone with this maniac. "Come on Corey!" he clapped. "Chop chop!" He hopped up the steps of the front porch as Corey gawked. He was being taken inside away from prying eyes where no one would hear him scream…if he could scream, he realized numbly as he followed the man up the stairs and into the shitty trailer.

"That's some talent you got there," Trevor commented. Corey gazed steadily at him. So he hadn't escaped after all. Trevor had just been waiting to grill him about his thievery. What the hell was happening? "But store security isn't actually the best around here. Would you say you're a pretty good thief?" Corey grew shifty, then nodded. "Be honest." Corey nodded again. "Really?" Corey deadpanned. He needed to convince him, but it wasn't as simple to steal from a lone person looking right at you.

He motioned for Trevor to wait and turned his back, hand to his chin in thoughtfulness. He looked around. He'd have to make contact with him. He stepped back and started to turn…and started to pass Trevor, beset with an idea. He stumbled, bumping his foot against Trevor's boot and began to fall. He let out a silent gasp as he fell against Trevor. Two rough hands quickly righted him.

"Ooh, be careful there, princess." Corey smiled sheepishly and tucked his hair behind an ear. The blush across his face was genuine. He continued past Trevor a little ways for show before turning again. He wiggled self-consciously before producing the pocket knife from his sleeve. Trevor's eyebrows rose. Then Corey held out his other hand with Trevor's wallet. Trevor's brows furrowed. "Wow. I'm impressed. Not just a thief, but a mother-fucking pickpocket. And a _good_ one. You just _never KNOW_ what people can do these days." He swiped his items, and Corey's self-satisfied smile quickly dropped. "You leave me no choice my mute friend. You can't be trusted." He gasped silently and drew back and Trevor lunged at him. The world became dizzying for a split second as he was whirled around and stopped abruptly. He was run into the counter and bent over. He let out a muted cry. Trevor leaned in close, breath puffing against his ear. "You were in my house. Who knows what you've picked up? I'm gonna have to search ya." _Huh?!_ Corey's eyes widened. Hands were grabbing at him. The man's pelvis shoved up against him kept him pinned and one boot kicked at the inside of his right foot. He struggled just briefly to test Trevor's resolve and when he was met with solid insistence, he stilled and stared balefully at the wall. He jumped, however, when the hands trailed down to his hips and tickled under his jacket and shirt. He let out small grunts of surprise and protest as the man felt his bare skin. Up his sides over his chest and down—

"Ooh." He stopped and those rough fingers traced back up to his nipples…and pinched his nipple rings between them. Corey gasped and bucked back against him to show his disapproval. Trevor ground forward back into him as if in retaliation. And he pulled. Corey whined. "Kinda kinky, huh?" Corey looked over his shoulder at him with a scowl. Trevor gave them two more tugs and Corey groaned, letting his head fall back center. The hands slid away and he felt Trevor part from him. But he soon felt those hands over his hips, in his pockets, rifling through everything he had before placing them on the counter. Corey snatched up all of them as they were set down one by one. The hands even groped through his tight back pockets. Then they were trailing down the outside of his legs. He sensed Trevor kneel for this. Then the hands trailed up the inside…over his knees…over his inner thighs…carefully sliding up to frame his crotch. He gasped and flushed in shame. He felt him brush against his…stuff… Trevor took his time feeling before sliding away and standing fully again.

"Well, seems like you're a smart kid. I didn't find anything on ya. That you stole from me anyway." Carefully, with light trembling, Corey turned around and stared with full attention at the man. He'd been so wrong about him. Wade might be fine, but this guy…was FAR from fine. "First thing you should know in Sandy Shores: I RUN this place. You don't ever. EVER. fucking cross me. And, if I ever catch your hand in my pants again, you better be jerking me off or you're gonna lose a fucking hand—Got it, cupcake?" Lips parted, he gazed up at Trevor and nodded. "Good boy," he grinned. "Now run along. No—Know what? I'll give you a ride home. Don't want you wandering around all by yourself out there. Never know who you might run into."

And so he got another ride with Trevor. And Trevor dropped him off in front of his temporary home. And Corey recoiled with the knowledge that Trevor now knew where he resided.

...

 **TBC!**


	3. It Begins

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my OC. All GTA V characters belong to whoever they belong to, which isn't me, yadda yadda.

 **Ch.3**

 **It Begins**

Corey made it inside and shut himself in his cousin's room. He was just interrogated, taken on a horrifying ride around the—city?—, search-molested, and threatened. He didn't want to leave the house again. And he didn't. For the next couple of days he refused to set foot outside. He made do with whatever food was around, used his phone to search the web, endured half-hearted coddling from his extended family, and stared at the television for hours on end.

The break in this pattern finally came when a knock sounded in the middle of the day. Corey hadn't been up for very long; he was still in his sleeping clothes. He stood in the middle of the room and contemplated the door. Then he decided that anyone knocking would be looking for one of his relatives, none of whom were around, so it would be useless for him to answer. He turned and went to the kitchen. There was another knock. That, he expected. Whoever it was would try a few times before leaving.

A third knock. This one lasted longer. Then a muffled voice called. He looked up. He thought he recognized it. The voice had a very, _very_ distinctive tone. He got up and went to the door. He looked down at himself, ran into his room and snatched up yesterday's jeans, jerking off his pjs and kicking his feet into each leg-hole.

Dressed and looking haphazard, he ran to the door and threw it open. "Oh, hey there," Wade called, as if he was pleasantly surprised to see him. "Remember me?" Corey nodded. "Cool. I just wanted to hang out. Trevor said it'd be good for us to get to know each other." Corey tilted his head and stared at him in concern. The fact that that man apparently hadn't forgotten about him yet disturbed him. Corey sighed through his nose and motioned for him to wait and pointed to his bare feet. He went back inside for shoes, before coming out to join him.

They began to trudge along the dusty streets—to where, Corey hadn't the slightest. And Wade began talking to him. Corey would nod, and occasionally slow to text a reply, and when Wade fell into one of his lapses of silence, Corey texted: _ _How long have you been living with Trevor?__

"Oh, I dunno. A while now." Corey couldn't imagine that. How could anyone stand to live with that man for any length of time? True, he didn't _know_ him exactly, but if that's how he acted in front of new people…dear god.

_ _Is he always like that?_ _

"Yeah, pretty much. But he's a good guy really. He's always been there fer me. 'cept before I met 'im." Corey remembered him breathing down his neck and feeling his body, and he shivered uneasily.

_ _Where is he today?_ _ The last thing he wanted was for the man to pop up out of nowhere and do…whatever terrible thing he might do. He had no idea what to expect from Trevor in any situation, but he expected nothing good.

"Oh. He's meetin' with somebahdy. He runs his own business yuh know," Wade said with a hint of admiration in his voice. _What in the world kind of business could a man like that possibly be running?_ Corey wondered and thought back again to that day when they met. It had been so nerve-wracking…but he remembered now him asking if he was buying, and saying stuff about plans. Whatever it was it was illegal. Corey was sure of that. Nothing about him suggested he could function in a normal, professional workplace. Drugs somehow seemed likely given the place and his company (Wade), but he had made a lot of grandiose statements for someone who was just a drug dealer. Well, he supposed he'd find out. Or maybe he wouldn't. If he was lucky.

Their walk took them by a shitty little oasis in the middle of the shitty little town. It almost seemed refreshing save for bits of automobiles and broken beer bottles and a slightly funny color to the water. It was a shame, because Corey wouldn't have minded going for a swim. At least it would have been something to do.

After an hour? Two hours? Three? with Wade, Corey realized this was the most boring town on the face of the planet. Sandy, dry, broken-down, smelly, _boring_. And as nice as he was, Corey's companion was dull and left much to be desired. Corey had known from the beginning Wade wasn't sharp, but now he had had time to explore the depth of that. There seemed to be nothing in that head of his. He was the perfect posterchild (man?) for the anti-drug campaign (though Corey doubted it was all from drugs). Corey could understand though. If a person had to live in a place like Sandy Shores, what else would s/he do besides get high? And get laid? And watch TV? A person'd go mad out here. At least his aunt and uncle had jobs in the next town over (which he hoped to god was better than the one they lived in) and his cousin worked in one of the shops around here. He was a bit of a druggie too, though, he'd come to find out.

Corey took another look around and suddenly thought of _Mad Max_. He'd never unsee it. And now Wade reminded him of one of the dull, programmed war-boys naïvely living according to a madman's plan, and never questioning for a moment. It was pathetic and sweet at the same time.

Corey bumped shoulders with him and gave him a smile, slipping Wade's phone into his own pocket. Wade smiled back, none the wiser. "Whut was that fer?" Corey couldn't wait to see how long it'd be before he noticed. Not only was he bored, but he admittedly bordered on full-blown kleptomania. He frequently got itchy fingers.

Corey shrugged in answer to him and Wade said, "Okay," seeming satisfied with the answer. He felt a little bad for Wade and his empty-headedness, but at least he seemed content. Corey couldn't make any promises, but if circumstances were going to insist them together, he would try to be a good friend to him. Aside from the thievery. Because there was no stopping that. It was all in good fun though.

Wade took him back to the trailer and Corey really, _really_ didn't want to go. Nothing good had happened last time. They went in nonetheless.

Wade pulled out a little baggy. "You wanna get high?" he asked earnestly. Corey shook his head but motioned for Wade to go ahead. "Alraight…" Wade lit up and Corey watched him gloss over. He grew more slack against the couch. He looked really spacey and helpless.

 _Oh, Heh_. Corey himself had forgotten that he had Wade's phone. He pulled it out and started browsing pics on the web. He saved a few to the phone. Wade still hadn't noticed anything was up. So Corey changed his background image and smiled in silent laughter. He wondered if Wade was homophobic. He wondered if Trevor was—wait… He thought about it and considered if Trevor might not be the opposite of. The way he… Maybe…

Corey flipped Wade's phone around in his hands uncomfortably. That event was still way too fresh in his mind. He wanted to brush it off as nothing, but he'd be incredibly naïve to do so and he hated that he wasn't. Strange men just don't pin other men from behind and play with their nipple piercings. Unless they were _'that way'_. And _the way_ he felt up his inner thighs. _No_. It was done; it happened; that was it. He shouldn't be focusing on it and he didn't want to.

But it was one of the only things that kept going through his mind when the man returned home and locked eyes with him.

Immediately, Corey was standing and gazing at him with a shamefully fearful expression. "Hey, our little thief is back," he commented casually. "Siddown. Take a load off." Trevor passed by him real close and Corey could smell him. Amidst the homely odors was the smell of man that, along with the fear, gave him a slight weakness in his knees and coaxed him to do as he was bid. Slowly, Corey sat and watched as the man went through the house.

"Heya Trevor…" Wade called out lethargically. Trevor didn't seem to notice. Corey glanced at the phone in his hands and abruptly dropped it on Wade's lap again. This seemed to confound him. "Hey…" Corey gave him a half-hearted smirk and nudged him a little.

"Well you two seem to be getting along." Corey glanced up, wondering if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Yeah. He's really funny even though he don't talk." So far Wade was the easiest friendship he'd ever had. He was made of patience and seemed very hard to bore.

"Is he now?" Trevor crossed over to their side of the counter. "I'm sorry if I came off a little… _strong_ the other day." He leaned back against it, looking lazily at him. "A guy like me can never be too careful. You understand." _A guy like him?_ Corey nodded. There was something about him. Though he was calm, he still seemed so dangerous, like he could snap at any point. And there was something so intent about his gaze that made Corey uneasy. At least he wasn't flipping out like when he first met him though. At the same time this calmness put him slightly more on edge. He didn't trust it. Not yet. "Good! No hard feelings?" Corey shook his head and gave a nervous smile, hoping to appease him. Being mute, he'd learned to become very expressive with his face and used it as much as possible to help people understand him and his moods. For, alas, he had no tone of voice, only tone of face.

"You know, I know your cousin," Trevor began suddenly. "Stevie's one of my regulars. Good customer. Never funny about the cash." Corey gave a small nod to show he was listening. "Now that I think about it, I think he _did_ mention a cousin of his coming to stay with him." His cousin seriously hung out with this guy? Really? Corey's eyes idly strayed to the stains on the man's jeans and trailed down to his work boots, giving idle inspection to his wardrobe.

When he looked back up, he noticed Trevor doing the same to him, and he realized the hypocrisy of his uncomfortableness. Still it seemed like he was looking at him a little _like that_ when Corey hadn't been. Corey had just been curious. Not…checking him out.

Corey bit his lip and closed his legs around his clasped hands. Those dark eyes came up to bore into his again. His heart stuttered and he felt afraid.

"So where you from?" He took a drink and paced in front of him. He glanced over at Wade, wondering if he was up for reading or if he should just jot down on the notepad for Trevor. He decided to try Wade and see how well he did.

_ _Los Santos_ _ He held it in front of Wade and was afraid for a moment that he wasn't with it enough to read it, but he leaned forward and narrowed his eyes before reading it aloud.

Afterwards, Wade commented, " _My_ cousin lives in Los Santos. His name's Floyd." Corey looked at him and smiled a bit. Well, that was a fun parallel.

"That's right. Very good, Wade," Trevor congratulated mockingly. "Alas, _I_ have no family, but a _real_ good friend of mine lives there now." Corey nodded.

"I thought me and Ron was your family." Corey cast a sideways glance at the confused man. So…sweet… He tried not to smile, because it was still sort of funny to him.

"Right! You are! But _blood_ does not connect us," he tried to explain to his rapt audience. "But that's okay! Because what we got is better than blood. We've got loyalty and that's what _real_ family is all about. Right guys?" Corey nodded.

"Sure thing, Trevor." This man was off his rocker. Way unstable.

"And I'm thinkin' we might have room for one more in this _fucked up,_ crazy family of ours." He looked at Corey, who grew very still and stared right back into those murky brown eyes. No… No, he wanted no part of this 'family'. Wade, maybe. But not Trevor. "Another lost little lamb in a city of wolves." Corey shivered and watched how his lips formed the word 'wolves' and watched how his eyebrows moved over his forehead. Like poorly feigned sympathy. And Corey wanted to fall for it. His eyes, though, glimmered with hunger. "But! You'll have to make it through the initiation process."

"Wait. Who are we initiating?" Wade asked, but he apparently fell on deaf ears.

"Gotta make sure you're a…good fit." His eyes flickered over his body a little. _Don't think about it._ "So! How 'bout a little road trip?" his hands clapped together. "Get ta know each other a little better. Whaddya say?" _No._ Corey gave a shallow nod. "Good answer!" He backed closer to the door. Corey numbly followed his implied lead and stood up. He looked back and waited for Wade to follow suit. As soon as he stood, Trevor's voice barked, "Not you, Wade! Little Corey n me are gonna have us a heart to heart." He clapped Corey on the shoulder and he flinched. Trevor smelled like he could use a shower. Or at least a change of clothes.

With that he was ushered out of the trailer never to be seen again… That's what it felt like anyway.

They rode for quite a while, and eventually there weren't even trailers to be seen. They were in a veritable nowhere, dusty, rust-colored ground in all directions. They weren't even following an established road. They were just rumbling over the dirt, and Trevor ignored him the whole time. Finally they parked and Corey spotted some sort of steep drop.

He followed Trevor who walked towards it. "I find this a refreshing place to think! No distractions, no interruptions. Just…us…" Trevor paused while Corey caught up and continued slightly in front of him. He then stopped and surveyed the rock below. "I think you could be a valuable member of the team. Granted I wasn't really looking for anyone, but when life hands me a lemon…I make me some mother fucking lemonade." Corey's brows knit together. He wasn't thrilled to be compared to a fruit that was about to be juiced—wait. Ugh, _no!_ That totally didn't sound right. "But I gotta be sure I can _trust you_. Help me trust you!" Corey's pulse raced as he turned back to him. Trevor backed him farther and farther towards the edge. Corey looked at him with growing unease. He'd seen the Lion King. He knew where this was going. He put up his hand, begging him to stop and wait. He took his notebook out and began scribbling hastily, with shaky hands.

_ _I really don't want to be the Mufasa to your Scar, so no worries, okay? I won't be a problem. You can trust me. Just tell me how to convince you.__ He held the paper out to him with a sheepish smile. He was scared, but he knew he was probably just overreacting. Trevor was aggressive and unusual, but people didn't usually just kill other people for no reason. He was just…intimidating him a little. He wasn't really a _killer_ …right? Corey was really hoping Trevor had a sense of humor in there somewhere and he waited with growing unease while Trevor read it.

"Huh… I'm _always_ the bad guy…" Corey's eyes widened and he shook his head. No, no. He'd missed it. Missed the point entirely. It was supposed to be funny. Supposed to break the tension a little. Trevor crumpled the paper in one hand and tossed it. "Everyone I meet, _I'm_ the villain. It's really kinda hurtful." Corey scratched a big NO over one whole page and held it in his face. Trevor knocked his hand away, teeth bared in a snarl, and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. Corey's mouth hung open and he grabbed desperately onto Trevor. "Long. Live. The _thief_ ," he sneered and Corey's heart stopped. He let out a wordless cry as he was flung. He landed hard on the earth back away from the cliff's edge.

He coughed and sat up, looking around himself. He gasped and panted. He was alive. _Oh my god._ His eyes wet. He thought he was going to be thrown over. Trevor was coming towards him and so he scrambled back, staring up at him.

"Oh, come on! I'm not gonna throw you off," Trevor told him and helped him up. Corey was shaking and his legs felt rather weak. "I just find a little bit of fear helps the honesty along." Against his will, his eyes welled further with post-terror tears and he found he was grabbing onto Trevor's upper arms for dear life. He didn't cry when he was scared, but having thought he really might die… Trevor looked at him with more softness now, kind of like when he was making the lost lamb commentary. Corey kept holding onto him, staring back. They were really close then, but Corey didn't care. He was too distraught and afraid.

Then Trevor abandoned Corey to the unsteadiness of his own feet and Corey missed holding onto him. He wished he could just sink to the ground in lieu of that, to be sure he wouldn't fall, but Trevor was ready to leave. "I think we understand each other pretty well. Time to go." Corey was very eager to get away from that place. Trevor insisted they exchange numbers and said, "You answer when I call. Got it? I better not get the machine!" Corey hadn't the nerve to remind him that a call would be really one-sided. He supposed he'd just find out if it came to that.

...

 **TBC!**

 **Comments are welcomed. :)**


	4. What Friends Are For

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my OC. All GTA V characters belong to whoever they belong to, which isn't me, yadda yadda.

 **A/N:** This chapter contains some friendly, drunken kissing. Starting to flesh out Corey a little more and set up for future chapters. His past, silence, and current family happenings will come up and have a part to play in this. Enjoy.

 **Ch.4**

 **What Friends Are For**

He ate dinner in silence that night…which wasn't unusual, but his _face_ was silent. Completely closed off. He avoided eye contact for the most part and tried to shut his extended family out as much as possible. They felt awkward about his 'disability' so they didn't go out of their way to interact with him. He doubted they really knew what to do with him. No one did. He was just an awkward little thing in everyone's way.

Afterwards, he did the dishes. He wanted to avoid talk and seeming like a mooch. He was a guest technically, but they were going out of their way to house and care for him for who knew how long. He figured he shouldn't act like a lazy, ungrateful bum.

And all the while, all he could think about was Trevor. He'd never seen a man act like that before. Sure, he understood fits of rage, but none of that was a fit. That was just him. All the time. He remember how he'd been thrown to the ground— _Who does that?_ —and how scared he'd been as soon as his weight had begun to lift off the ground: that moment when he didn't know which way he'd fall. Why did Trevor keep coming back? Why did he seem to want him around? Corey's being there at his place had been a complete accident (for his own part) and he hadn't seen anything particularly incriminating. There was nothing to be freaked out over, so…what was with the 'join or die' campaign? He was just some stupid mute kid visiting who wanted nothing to do with him or whatever he did. So why?

Something about all of this brought him back to his home, and to his childhood. He didn't want to be there. He was finally away from his family, while they answered for some of their crimes. He had vaguely thought that maybe being out here would distract him from them, and cast their shadows away from him.

However, he was feeling oppressed and trapped again. He was being dragged into something he hadn't even a clue about, and it didn't make sense to him. There was no reason. So what if he was a good thief? Trevor didn't know him. Why was it so important he be a part of whatever he had going on? Corey was used to being left alone, left out…and as soul-crushing as that could be, he much preferred solitude to having others' will forced upon him. Like he was some meaningless puppet. Just a thing taking up space.

He sniffed and stepped away from the sink, drying his hands. He felt low. He felt confused. His people were watching TV on the couch, so he leaned against the wall and texted Wade.

_ _What's up?__ He hoped he'd answer. He might have exceeded Forrest Gump's level of simplicity, but he was the only one nearby who he could talk to, and just maybe he'd make Corey feel just a little less alone and worthless. _Shouldn't hold my breath though._ He waited doubtfully, the light from the TV flickering over him.

 __nm. wuts up w u? u kinda just disappeared. Trevor wouldn't say where u went__ Corey then snuck past the fam and sat out on the front porch, hunched over his phone, his tiny little lifeline.

_ _Just went for a drive and talked. I'm feeling a little isolated way out here. And I'm sorta confused by some things_._ He didn't know if Wade would understand, but he had to try. He needed _someone_. He'd gotten by this long without people to confide in, but that didn't mean it was easy or that he wanted to.

_ _like wut?_ _ Corey sighed heavily.

_ _I dunno. I don't know anyone out here, and there's a lot of stuff going on with my parents, and Trevor's kinda scary tbh. I'm just overwhelmed_ _

_ _aw that sux. And ull hafta forgive trevor. He's not gud w new ppl. He'll cum round tho_ _ Corey bit his lip and adjusted his position against the front of the house. His heart pounded in nervous anticipation. He was still well within that stage with Wade where he didn't know what was okay to say and what was weird.

_ _u wanna pick up some booze and hang out somewhere?_ _ Corey chewed on his lip, hoping he wasn't pushing the new friendship too much.

_ _ok. We can meet up at liquor market._ _

_ _I don't know where that is.__

 __oh. raight. I'll stop by yer place first then we can go together.__

_ _Sounds good_ _

Corey watched from his place on the porch and eventually he saw a shape emerging from the shadowed street trudging towards him. Corey stood and lingered next to a support beam, making sure it was Wade before slinking away to meet him.  
"Hey…"

Corey waved back. It was dark, so in order to 'talk', he'd have to do so exclusively on his phone. As they began their trek to Liquor Market, Wade told him, "I like textin' you. You talk a lot more that way." Corey smiled and patted his shoulder. He almost cried then. Someone _wanted_ to hear what he had to say. He just had to hang in long enough to get wasted and then it'd all be okay.

When they arrived in the lot, Corey made to hold hands with him, and slipped him some money. Wade blinked in confusion as he looked at the cash. Corey gestured to the store with his head and typed: _ _You have to pay. I'm 19_ _ Somehow, he doubted Wade would have any qualms about that.

"Ohhh." Corey held a finger to his lips.

_ _I'll wait out here_ _

"Kay. What'd yew want?" Corey gave a shrug. He wasn't going to be picky. Whatever would get him drunk.

When Wade came back, he handed him the change and Corey followed his lead down to the lake. They kicked at the sand to find a clear spot before sitting down. Finally. Wade had picked up two six-packs and Corey wasted no time in downing his first one.

They sat shoulder to shoulder looking out towards the water. Corey sought to turn his current buzz into all out drunkenness. He slumped more and more heavily against his friend as he emptied can after can. Friend. That had such a warm sound to it. Corey looked at him, blood pulsing heavily, endorphins flowing warmly through him. The good thing was, Corey never got to drink, so it wasn't taking a whole lot to get him to where he wanted to be. He was having trouble keeping himself up now. He felt heavy and Wade felt warm beside him. He just wanted to flop back against him.

He lowered onto his elbows instead, listening to the water slosh gently now and again. This was nice. Wade soon mimicked his posture. Corey chuckled softly and bumped him. "Are you havin' a good time, Coree?" Corey nodded and hummed. "Tha's gud. Me too…" he began to feel like he was on the water, rocking gently with the waves.

He wanted to thank Wade for coming out with him, but it seemed too much effort to pull his phone out and type. He was comfy and it just felt like a mood breaker. He didn't know how well he could type drunk anyway. So the thought was caged inside his mind and he just had to hope Wade knew how much he appreciated it.

Corey turned to look at him. Their faces were close. Wade looked back and they just gazed at each other quietly. It was hard to read his expression in the dark. "Whut?" Corey finally let his impulses take him. _Will he let me..?_ Corey slowly got closer, turning towards him onto one elbow, giving him all the time in the world to lean away.

Their lips touched and a surge went through him. His mouth was soft and warm. "Uh, wut're you doin'?" he asked sincerely. Corey's breath caught, unable to answer and unsure if Wade was upset. Corey pulled back a little and after a moment, he touched Wade's mouth. "You wanna kiss..?" Corey nodded. "Okay…"

They kissed a little bit. It was all very chaste. It was so nice to be with someone who _wanted_ to be with him and didn't think he was retarded just because he couldn't speak. It was nice to not be pushed away, even if he shouldn't have been trying to kiss him. It just felt… _nice_ to have human contact.

This was the first time he'd ever hung out and got drunk with anyone. Or just hung out period. Most people thought he was either weird or boring, and preferred being with their speaking friends. They didn't have the time to try to include him in conversation, and wait for him to write his replies. He was a buzz-kill. He parted from Wade for a moment and took a deep shaky breath. Corey blinked and suddenly his cheeks were streaked with tears.

"That was kinda naice," Wade admitted. "You wanna kiss some more?" Corey slowly leaned in to do so, more warm tears coursing silently down his face. He put a hand on his shoulder this time and licked just the tip of his tongue over Wade's mouth.

He had to pull back abruptly, and he sniffled as his nose began to run a little. "You alraight?" Corey sniffled again and shook his head. "Why you crying?" he slurred. "Did I do sumthin'?" He just took Wade's hand and put it over his heart and squeezed it, dropping his head against his shoulder. "Yuh sad 'bout the stuff yew told me about?" He gave a quiet grunt and nod in response. "Well, it's gonna be okay." Wade patted his back and gave him a clumsy hug. Corey hated himself a little for crying in front of someone he barely knew. Wade patted his back again and Corey smiled briefly through the tears, tears he supposed he'd been holding in ever since the ride with Trevor. And left over tears he'd been crying his whole life.

"You want me to tell you a story? Stories make _me_ feel better," Wade offered. It was so silly, but it was just the sort of thing he needed right now to distract him. Corey nodded against his chest, trying to keep his sniffles silent.

Corey lied against him and listened to his clumsy, rambling little story through the beating of his heart; and wished that that bliss of having someone to lean on was not a fleeting shadow of happiness to be gone by morning.

...

 **TBC**

 **A/N** **:** For anyone curious or 'worried', this is just a light-hearted thing and not a sign that they're going to become an item or anything.


	5. Rude Awakening

**Ch.5**

 **Rude Awakening**

Everything sounded louder. Why was Steven pacing through the room like that—and why did he hear the fridge opening? Did he leave the bedroom door open? Ugh, he had to pee so bad. As he rolled onto his back to rub his eyes open, he realized he was on the couch and wondered how he'd gotten there. No wonder everything was so loud. He felt a little dizzy too though. Corey opened his eyes and let out a poor attempt at a shriek.

"Look who's awake!" _No!_ Corey whipped around—mistake—and found himself staring at Trevor. "Mornin' sugar." Corey gawked at him and then slowly looked down at himself, checking his clothes. He was on the ratty couch. Wade was sitting up on the floor looking at him. Corey put his face in his hands and rubbed.

"Hey, Coree, how you feelin'?" Corey shook his head without looking at him and made a circling motion in the air with his finger. He slid to the floor next to Wade—where was his notepad?—and asked _ _Where's the bathroom?__ He huddled close to him as he showed him. "It's down there," he pointed. "Hurry up. I gotta go after you." Corey blushed as he stood and stumbled down the hall. He stopped when he noticed something missing. There was no door. He couldn't pee and in this trailer of all places without a door. He hesitated and glanced subtly to the side. _Please, oh, PLEASE don't let him come down here._

It felt like he peed forever when he finally got over his nerves enough to do so and he was sure the whole time McCreeper was going to show up in the doorway.

He trudged back to the living room and dropped onto the couch. He rubbed his face. He didn't feel good. He was hungry. He was still tired. He couldn't believe where he was. Wade disappeared to do his business, and Corey wondered what the best way to get out of there was.

He was surprised when Trevor seemed to be ignoring the two of them entirely. But glad. All of this was awkward and stressful enough. He still didn't feel as if he could walk out of there without saying— _writing_ —a word. It was rude. In addition, it wasn't like he had anything he _needed_ to do or anyone who wanted him home. No easy excuses. _No, not again_. Depression tried to settle over him. _Not here in front of him_.

Wade fell onto the couch next to him and Corey glanced over. _Oh my god, I kissed him last night_ , he suddenly remembered. He felt not only embarrassed, but guilty. Wade was, well…there was something not quite right with him and he was childlike almost in a lot of ways. He hadn't protested, but still…perhaps it hadn't been right to kiss him like that.

That aside, he still couldn't believe he'd done that. Not only because Wade was still a stranger, but, well… Corey tapped his foot and chewed his lip. He wasn't exactly a _winner_. Corey sighed. He really was lonely. He supposed…as long as Wade wasn't bothered by it…he shouldn't be either. But it really was time to leave, before he super over-stayed his welcome or—ugh! He didn't know anymore. Trevor _hadn't_ wanted him in the house at first, and then he _wanted_ him around, but then he never _invited_ him to _stay the night._ Corey didn't know what the hell he was supposed to do around Trevor. Stay? Leave? What was okay?

Corey got up. He would try to leave and see what happened. Mmf. Still didn't feel good.

_ _I think I should get going_ _ Corey told Wade. _ _I'll see you around_ _

"Alright. See yuh."

As Corey was on his way out, he bumped into Ron. He drew back and raised his eyebrows, giving a small wave.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that," he mumbled and continued past him. Corey watched after him in curiosity before descending the porch stairs and getting the hell out of that yard.

…

He ate, took a nap, ate again, and tried to shake the awful feeling that was still hanging over him. He felt lonely again now that he wasn't with Wade. His social life was a little pathetic, wasn't it? Steven and him didn't mesh well and he had his own friends anyway. Being family didn't mean squat. He'd only ever seen him a handful of times before this stay. Being mute was really isolating. But it was also safe. Not many people bothered him and nobody expected as much from him. It was a double-edged sword really.

He received a phone call shortly before his relatives were due home. He answered cautiously. Not many people had his number, and those people knew better than to _call_ him (unless they were simply relaying information and satisfied with receiving only a hum of acknowledgement). He listened.

"Hey, Corey, buddy! Ya there?" He felt a little nauseas. Trevor. He took a deep breath and sighed through his nose.

"Nn." Silence.

"Aw, FUCK! That's right!" Corey waited patiently as Trevor came to terms with this. "Ah well! Just listen!"

"Mm."

"Come by my place at 9. Gonna take those fingers of yours for a test run tonight..." That didn't sound sketchy as fuck. Corey paced to the couch and sat, shifting his feet slowly together. Trevor was scary, but something about his tone sometimes got him a little…flustered. He wasn't comfortable with that.

"Mm."

"Be there, my little mute friend. Trust me: you don't want me to come find you." He hung up and Corey was left feeling more flustered than before. Why did he make threats in a tone like _that?_ It was all wrong. Everything about that man was wrong. Wasn't like there was anyone around to save him, though, and to be honest he was starting to get the tiniest bit curious.


	6. Rights of Passage

**Ch. 6**

 **Rights of Passage**

The rest of the day was agony waiting for 9:00. Time crawled, but his heart raced. He paced around, got ready way sooner than he needed to, and skulked about guiltily after his relatives arrived back home as if they knew what he was up to—or rather the embarrassing truth about what he was being _bullied_ into and by who. He shouldn't feel ashamed or to blame—but Trevor made him feel that way. How he just did what he wanted, said what he wanted, _touched_ what he wanted… Somehow _he_ felt like the guilty one.

No one would care anyway. It would be just one more thing to cast him out as the freak.

He still had an hour and a half to go, so he walked up to Steven's room and knocked on the open door, looking inside. Corey knew it must be tough sharing a room especially at his age. He was 23. He was hoping that he could hang out with him for a little bit to kill some time. They didn't really talk much to each other (big surprise), but if he could just watch what he was doing, maybe waiting wouldn't be as bad.

Steven was playing on his old gaming system. He glanced up. " 'Sup, cuz?" Corey shrugged and came in. He sat next to him and watched silently. After a minute, he said, "You know, like, you're cool people and all—and I know you can't help it—but you're kinda creepy not-talking all the time." Corey frowned. "No offense man. It's just kinda weirdin' me out. I mean, talk about awkward silence right?" Corey sighed and shrugged his shoulders before nodding. _That makes me feel so much better. Thanks,_ he thought. "Hey, mind handin' me my smokes? They're on the 'stand." Corey passed them over and Steven paused the game. "Thanks man." Corey nodded wearily and looked at the time. Not much closer. "Yo, you wanna play a round?" Corey considered, then nodded. "Knock yourself out." He passed him the controller. Corey was quite familiar with video games. It was one of the biggest activities to do for someone incapable of normal social interaction.

It was fun while it lasted. Steven took over again once he was done with his cigarette. Corey kept watching and checking the time and eventually just put himself outside. So far neither his aunt or uncle had tried to control his comings or goings. They didn't say anything to him about it at all. Not even "where are you going" or "bye." They just let him do whatever. He was nineteen, but still. It was a little odd.

…

He was still fifteen minutes early when he arrived outside Trevor's gate. He sat down against it, staring at the giant orange truck. His dad had been found out thanks to his little brother who was still in the care of his mother—until the authorities found reason to take him away from her. He'd been sent way out here in the boonies to keep him out of the way of people sniffing about and—no offense to his relatives—because he didn't deserve better accommodations. His older brother had been inducted into his dad's 'business' alongside 'uncles' Paul and Joey. He was the successful one in the family. The one their dad was proud of. His little brother Eric wasn't old enough to be the subject of his pride yet—that's what Corey thought anyway. His dad was trying to push him though. However, Corey'd been the biggest failure of the family. He'd shut down early and diverged completely from the family path. His dad told him what a disgrace he was, and how he'd had to _work_ to earn his place amongst the 'family' and give them this opportunity. Corey didn't care. It wasn't what he wanted. And it didn't excuse all the things he'd done to him and his brothers. The eldest, Victor, had learned much faster than the two of them, though. He busted his ass to climb out of dad's oppressive shadow. Well…he'd climbed deeper into it, but that's what saved him from dad's anger most of the time; and that was all he'd wanted. It's what they all wanted, but they couldn't mold themselves into his image the way Victor had.

Anyway…

Victor was helping the family out while their dad was detained; and Corey's absence made things easier on all of them. His brother was still a minor and the cause of his dad's discovery, so they had to keep him at home. That whole situation was enough weighing on his mind, and then, out of nowhere, some crazy man was making threats to him. Now he found himself about to be tested for he-didn't-know-what. Doing some illegal thing. This isn't what he envisioned. It's not what he wanted. There was too much going on. How did he come to this? Was this all he really was? Some non-person to be used and acted upon by anybody? His father, the 'family', Trevor and his 'business'… No one wanted to hear him… Heh. No one except the village idiot. Corey thought this fondly. He wondered what would happen that night, and what would happen after. Would Trevor be pleased with him? And if so, what greater nightmare would that unfold? At the same time, if Trevor wasn't pleased…what even greater nightmare would _that_ unfold. His memory conjured up a loud, stinging slap and he cringed. He heard the sound again and again and the darkness outside melted into the darkness of his room, and the walls ran with despair. They wanted to see him hurt. They did not want him to succeed. He was drowning in this blackness where no one wanted to help him.

He flinched when he heard the door bang open a few minutes later. He turned and stood slowly. Trevor's silhouette spotted him.

"Hey! Get the fuck in here. You're scaring Ron!" Startled and confused, Corey quickly walked over to the impatient man before being shoved inside by a firm hand.

"Alright. This is what we're gonna do. You and me," he gestured between them, putting a hand on his shoulder, "are going to go down to the bar, and you're going to show me what you can do." Corey quirked an eyebrow at him. "Let's see how many _pockets_ you can pick." At this Corey's brows rose. It wasn't great practice to steal from a whole _lot_ of people in one enclosed area. Especially in a small town. In which he was the newcomer. And—

_ _I'm 19__ Corey explained and looked over at him for his response. The Xs on his hands would draw more attention to him, if they even let him in. "Who the fuck cares? No one's checkin'! Now quit makin' excuses! You talked a big game, now it's time to play." Corey gave a shrug. As long as he could get in, he supposed. He started to get butterflies. He'd never had to prove himself before. He'd only ever stolen for himself. He tried to keep this 'skill' under wraps. His life was tough enough as it was without being labeled a criminal. An unsanctioned criminal, rather. Then why did he do it? It wasn't like he particularly _had_ to steal. His family was well taken-care of. He still didn't really know why, so he avoided asking that question and thinking about the morality of it. He did know why he stole his dad's things, however. He deserved it.

They drove up to the place and got out. "This is it!" Trevor told him. "Make me proud!" Corey didn't believe he'd made anyone proud his whole life, so he contented himself with trying to make Trevor moderately-pleased. Corey looked up at him, waiting. Trevor looked back at him. "Well? Get goin'." Corey backed up a little. _He's not coming with me?_ "I'll be here if you fuck up. But hey…I'm sure you'll do just fine." Corey turned away and trudged up to the dimly glowing building.

He was surprised when no one was at the door to 'interrogate' him. So he took a quick glance at his surroundings. He realized he looked far too clean, and it wasn't long before he started getting "faggit!" and "city-boy!" shouted at him. It burned. And for all practical purposes, it drew too much attention to him. He saw a man approaching him. He could tell he planned to bump him, so he decided to make his first attempt for Trevor. If this was the way it had to be.

Their shoulders collided and the man hissed "watch it, fag" at him, but Corey had his wallet and stowed it away. Corey swiped an unattended beverage to try to blend better. Some women eyed him, others giggled _at_ him. Corey tried to wait it out, let people get bored with him. He lifted some bullshit from a couple of purses—those were easy.

After a little while of meandering and collecting items, Corey wandered into the men's room. He needed to get his stash better situated. One of the stall doors was just hanging on by a hinge. The one next to it was pretty good though. He hid away in there, just as someone else came in. He stilled and listened carefully. As soon as the man began to piss, Corey quickly began patting at himself and situating things into hidden pockets and pouches underneath his jacket—which was getting way too warm, by the way.

When he was good enough (and he had to be, as the man had finished up), he straightened himself and opened the door. The man was still there and looking at him. A grin plastered across his face and he was moving for him quickly. Corey took a step back into the stall. "Hey pretty boy," he crooned gruffly. Corey's eyes widened. "Fancy, meetin' you here." Corey shook his head, and made to leave, but there was no room to move past him anymore. The man pushed him into the stall and he looked up fearfully. This was the one horror he'd barely been spared from. Guess luck couldn't last forever. The man locked the door and Corey climbed up onto the toilet seat, holding onto the sides to keep steady.

"Nuh-uh, hey! Don't run off. Aint tryin'ta hurtcha." He grabbed at Corey's waist. Corey shoved at his hands, with new worry. If he felt him, he'd feel the lumpiness of his spoils. "Don't be cold, like that. _Faggit_ boy." He groped at him again. Instead of pushing them away and angering him, he just moved his hands to safer areas, while he thought of what he was going to do. "Tha's it. C'mon. Make us both feel naice… Cum down…" He pulled at his hips. Corey held onto the sides tighter. He couldn't fuck this up. He didn't want to be someone's meaningless plaything. His eyes welled with tears. Nobody cared. He didn't want to do this for Trevor, but now he _had_ to. He'd come too far. It was either do it or get caught. And raped.

He put on his bravest face and motioned for him to wait. He balanced carefully and mimed pulling down his zipper and then gesturing to him. "Yew wanna see?" Corey nodded and bit his lip. The man laughed degradingly. "Alraight." He ducked his head and put both hands to his zip. Corey cautiously reached out and caressed the back of the drunken man's head and just as the man looked up to leer at him, dick out, he kneed him in the face—and again with a terrified grunt as the drunkard began to drop. Corey's heart rate spiked and he hoisted himself up and over the sidewall, bruising his stomach and hurting his ankle as he dropped gracelessly onto the toilet, half-sliding off. He yanked the hanging door open and ran, but stopped abruptly at the exit door and took a breath. He couldn't run out frantically. Then they'd know. Calm. Calm. Tears fell from his eyes and he wiped them away. Brave. Brave-face.

He walked out. It was painful as he meandered about, wondering when the guy was going to get up and run after him—shout to everyone that the pretty-boy faggit attacked him. His mouth twitched in fear. Finally he 'casually' made his way to and out the door. He walked for a little bit, then gave up and ran to Trevor's truck.

He turned down the music as he approached. The tears were coursing down his face and now his ankle twinged. He got in and slammed the door, before doubling over and hiding his face in his hands. The evening was only getting worse.

As soon as he got in, Trevor was _going_.

"That bad, huh?" Trevor said once they were out of the lot and Corey cried harder. If Trevor thought that he didn't do well, that meant he was disappointed—without even _knowing_ what he'd gotten. Corey really didn't want to deal with disappointment on top of a near-rape experience—and, oh god, he'd _attacked_ someone! He kneed him in the face! The man was going to remember that, and it wasn't going to be hard to find him.

Suddenly they swerved and jolted to a halt. Trevor killed the lights. "Well, what the fuck happened?" he asked. "How bad is it?" Corey shook his head and slowly pulled out his phone. He wiped his eyes, trying to clear his vision.

_ _It won't matter to u but sum guy tried to rape me. I was trapped so I kicked him in the face. I couldn't stay. I'm sorry I couldn't get more for u. If I let him rape me, he would've found the things I stole.__ Corey sobbed as it crushed him to talk about himself as being so meaningless. But that was how everyone else saw him, so it was a waste trying to say otherwise. _ _No one knows u wer there w me so I'm the only one they'll come after__ There. Trevor should be pleased that Corey hadn't screwed him over. He felt low. He hadn't felt this low in a while. He didn't mean anything to anyone and now it was being rubbed in his face.

"What. do you _mean_. someone tried to rape you?" Trevor demanded and Corey felt ashamed of himself. He was mad at him. Corey sniffled wetly and typed _ _I'm sorry__ "Oh, no, no, no. You don't be sorry. That _ASSHOLE_ is the one who's gonna be sorry." Trevor started up the truck and floored it back onto the road. "We're going back and you point out who it is." Corey wiped his face on his sleeve and stared over at him. His heart fluttered a little. Did Trevor actually care?

They screeched into the lot and the truck was barely off before Trevor was out of it, stalking towards the door. "C'mon!" Corey hurried to keep up and hesitantly grabbed onto his arm. Trevor threw the door opened and more than a few faces turned to see what was up.

"ALRIGHT!" he shouted. "NOBODY'S LEAVIN' TIL—"

"Hey Philips! You aint supposed to be here! You get ou—" Trevor whipped out his gun and fired a warning shot.

"Anyone _ELSE_ wanna chime in? No? As I was saying! My FRIEND here tells me he was being _harassed_. No one leaves until I know who."

"Ha! You friends with the fag? Or r u his old man?" some guy challenged. Trevor turned, and with a slow, dramatic movement pointed the gun at him.

"Words can hurt, my friend. And so can bullets." He fired at him. "Remember that. I mean, come on! It's the 21st century! Aren't we all supposed to be a little more _progressive_ than that?" Trevor looked at Corey and fell serious again. "Now…where is he?" Corey felt scared and thrilled all at the same time. He looked around and everyone was deathly quiet. Some were turned away and ignoring them entirely. Corey spotted his assailant—it wasn't too hard, though he was skulking in the background. He pointed with a shaky finger. He looked up at Trevor and motioned his hand in front of his nose and mouth to mime the bloody nose the man had. Trevor seemed to understand. He grinned a most sinister grin.

"Well, well…why don't you come on over here. Tha's right! I'm talkin' to _you_ cowboy. You are the lucky contestant. Come on! Step right up! Don't be scared. I just wanna talk." The gun was aimed at him. "I just wanna talk…" The guy approached, wiping his face on his sleeve. "Let's take this outside, shall we?"

They exited the bar.

Trevor walked the man away from the building, hand firmly gripping his shoulder. "Now, my friend here says you tried to _rape_ him—"

"I aint gay!"

"Shh shh," he cut his protests short. "I didn't _say_ you were gay. I said you tried to _rape_ him. You don't have to be _gay_ to rape another man. _That's_ something you learn in prison!" He patted his back as they reached the truck. "Corey, my boy," he handed him a roll of duct tape. "Get his hands." It took Corey a moment to figure out what Trevor meant, and then he was binding his wrists together.

"Hey man! Whut th fuck iz this?!" he protested, but didn't put up too much physical resistance.

"Shut. Your fucking. Mouth," Trevor told him. "I really don't appreciate your behavior tonight." He snatched the tape out of Corey's hands and taped over the man's mouth. "You're coming with us, and we are going to have a gooood talk about this." Numbly, Corey watched Trevor walk him to the bed of the truck and shove him in. "Hang on!" He handed Corey the gun as they got in. "Keep an eye on him." Corey had never used a gun before, but he pretended experience the best he could and kept the gun trained on him the whole ride.

When they reached their deserted destination, Trevor climbed into the back and _rolled_ him out onto the ground before hopping out after him. He allowed the man to get to his knees before he ripped the duct tape off. "Now, would you like to apologize? Hm?" Corey cautiously approached, sticking close to the truck.

"Man…fuck you; I didn't—"

"Wrong answer!" Trevor shot him in the leg and the man screamed out his pain.

"What the fuck?!" His voice was an octave higher.

"I'll ask again!" he re-trained the gun on him. "Would you like to apologize?"

"FUCK! Yes! I'm sorry! Whatever! Oh my god!"

"You don't sound very sorry." Another shot and a scream.

" _I'M SORRY!_ " The hoarse pain chilled Corey as he watched. So this is what it looked like. He knew this sort of thing was sometimes involved in the 'family' business, but he'd never witnessed it. He was lucky enough to be kept out of the loop. His brother, Victor, on the other hand. He'd probably seen this.

He wanted to get closer to Trevor, but he was afraid to, and the gun was so loud. "See what happens? Actions. Have _consequences._ I dunno _what_ they let you get away with at home, but out here, in my town…you answer to me. Now, this isn't gonna happen again, are we clear?" The man whimpered out something. "Sorry, what was that? I couldn't… _hear_ you!" A kick to the stomach. The man gave up and dropped onto the ground, subbing his pain and groaning, "yes," in a barely discernable way. He was in a full fetal position. Trevor turned away then and walked up to Corey. He handed him the keys. "Turn on the radio and crank that baby! And just _stay_ put." Corey did so. He climbed into the driver's side, cranked the volume and sat there. His heart thudded and his hair prickled as he waited and listened. He heard another gun shot. And then nothing. He peeked in the rearview, but he couldn't see anything. He felt the truck shake a little. Then Trevor came around and twisted the keys out of the ignition.

"Come on. Think of this as _part two_ of you initiation." Corey gazed at him, confused and dreading what this was. As he followed him out on shaky legs, limping behind, he saw the man's still body flopped on the ground bleeding out. A body? He was looking at his first dead body? And he was a witness. He felt woozy. "Here," he handed him a flashlight and walked him a few feet away before sitting him down. "You just sit right here and point that light so I can see what I'm doing." Corey nodded. "You're doin good," Trevor announced. "You're almost done."

He felt like he was there forever with the light trained on him, shifting his position now and again to give him better lighting.

"Now help me out. He's heavier than he looks."

Then he had to help Trevor move the body into its shoddy grave. Afterwards, he handed him the shovel and Corey stared at him wide-eyed. "Your turn…" he breathed. There was no room for argument in his eyes as they burned into him. Corey took the shovel while Trevor paced around with the light, mumbling, "Hurry up!" and "Come on!" Corey tried not to pay attention to the sound of the dirt hitting the body and tried not to look until he thought the whole corpse was covered. "Alright, just a little more to go." His arms were getting tired and he was sweating profusely. He was still wearing his jacket with all the stolen goods in it.

Finally a mound of dirt covered it and they tamped it flat. Trevor grabbed the shovel from his hands and threw it into a back compartment. "Alright! Let's vamanos muchacho!" Corey was quick to obey, wanting to leave this awfulness behind. He still couldn't fully process what he'd just been a part of, and he was going to put off acknowledging it for as long as possible. Things were only getting worse, but there was a silver lining here that hadn't been before, and he held onto it tightly.

…

The drive back was quiet, save for the radio, but Trevor seemed to be in good spirits. Cautiously, Corey put a hand on his forearm and slid it up to gently rest over his hand before nuzzling into his shoulder. He was horrified. But Trevor had stood up for him. He'd gone _that far_ to protect him and get revenge. He wanted him to know his gratitude.

Trevor reached over with his left hand and ruffled his hair. Corey felt elated and grinned to himself before pulling away. Was there really more to Trevor than endless aggression and insanity? He shouldn't get his hopes up…but he couldn't help it. He saw Trevor in a new light from the bottom of this deep, abysmal pit he found himself in that night. He found new levels of fear and respect. As long as he was on Trevor's side, perhaps there would be nothing else to fear.

…

They arrived back at Trevor's trailer and went in to scope out the loot. "Hey yer back," Wade greeted. "How'd it go? Didja find anything good?"

"We're about to find out, Wade," Trevor informed him in his usual tone, and rubbed his hands together. "Show me the money…" Corey felt relief. The faster he emptied his clothes, the faster he could get out of the oven-of-a-jacket he'd been in for too long now.

He'd nabbed more than a few wallets, some mace, jewelry, free-floating cash, a hand-mirror, and a couple of baggies of unknown substances. "Ooohh." Trevor seemed pleased. He began going through the wallets, grabbing cash and anything else he found useful; and studied the baggies carefully before tossing them at Wade. Corey jerked off his jacket with a gasp of relief as the air hit his sweaty skin.

"Ya did good kid," he clapped him on the back. "You're in. Welcome to the family!" He threw his arms wide, before sauntering off around the counter.

"Whoop-whoop!" Wade celebrated and Corey grinned a little, tying his jacket around his waist.

"Here." Trevor wiggled a bottle of beer at him. "Think ya earned this." Corey took it with a shy nod of thanks. Was Trevor actually proud of him? He tried to contain himself and drank some of it down. He didn't know he could feel so bad and so good all in the same night. He found it hard to trust this happiness. Surely, he hadn't done that well—and Trevor of all people couldn't possibly find him good enough. Right?

Corey got a severe case of shyness and became very uncomfortable standing in the room with him. He just leaned on the counter and looked down as he sipped nervously on his beer. A blush crept over his face as he thought, _I should thank him_. He hadn't actually gotten around to 'saying' anything properly yet. Out again came his phone.

_ _Thank you so much for what you did_ _ he started, and paused for thought. _ _I really appreciate it.__ He paused again. He didn't want to sound too sappy, but he still felt as if he hadn't said enough, or at least not quite the right things. However, he couldn't think of anything better, so he moved around the counter and touched Trevor's arm before showing him the phone. He blushed self-consciously.

"No problemo," he said and slapped him on the back. "That's what family's for." Trembling with nerves, he typed a small confession he otherwise wouldn't have made to Trevor: _ _My real family's never done anything like that for me. They've never protected me. So thank you.__ He grew even more self-conscious when he showed him this time, and finished his beer. After reading, Trevor put an arm around him and shook him, before getting him another beer. Corey pocketed his phone and continued to get a little tipsy, curled up on the couch next to Wade who was getting fucked up on something. He felt…content.


	7. When Worlds Collide

**Ch.7**

 **When Worlds Collide  
**

Corey woke to the smell of beer-gone-bad and B.O. He turned his face away from the back of the couch and smiled before rubbing his eyes open. He'd slept on Trevor's couch again, but this time it was intentional. He sat up on his elbows and looked down at the other end of the couch where Wade was curled up with Corey's legs over his lap. Corey gave a soft laugh through his nose. Nothing about how Wade looked hinted at comfort. He was still wearing his shoes, too. Corey moved his legs from his lap and sat up. Couldn't say that was the best rest he'd had, but he was feeling pretty good.

He reclined against the arm of the couch bending his legs up onto it, disheveled hair falling over his shoulders. He was pretty sure Wade was drooling. He pulled his shirt down and wondered where Trevor was. He didn't see him up and about. Wade mumbled a little in his sleep and fell silent.

Corey leaned his head back and took this time of quiet to think about the recent events and where his life was headed. He had stepped into some really big shit without intending to. Trevor kept herding him along and now he found himself involved in a mess of assault and murder. God it was far too early to think about that. He didn't think he _ever_ wanted to think about that.

Nausea began to creep over him and he pinched the bridge of his nose, swallowing. Slow breath in…slow breath out. Okay. So maybe now really _wasn't_ the time. Happy thoughts. _Some_ good had come of it… A person could argue that being liked by Trevor wasn't any sort of achievement you'd want, but…the idea was growing on him. Especially after that fiasco in the bathroom. He came to his rescue. Unnecessary and brutal, but it had been nice (except for the killing part that he wasn't thinking about). Feeling as down as he had been during recent times, it was shocking and amazing that _something_ good had finally happened. _Someone_ cared about him—a little at least—enough to defend him. And _then_ he'd been accepted into the group, been called…'family'…

Maybe it was just a figure of speech to Trevor—but he said it sort of a lot—but it meant a lot to Corey. That terrible, trashy, violent man thought of him as family.

Corey rubbed his face. Ugh. Overthinking this. Definitely. He slouched back again and stared down at Wade. Still, though…did he really like where his life was heading? Shouldn't he get out of this? Pft, did he really have that choice? Where would he go anyway? Trevor would find him… He could try going to the 'family', but that would open a whole other can of worms that he didn't want open. Especially since he had thus far remained distant from them. He couldn't imagine they'd be _eager_ to come to his rescue, particularly given the circumstances. And if they ever came into contact with Trevor, forget it. It would be the biggest catastrophe ever.

Corey resigned himself in that moment to whatever fate awaited him and crawled over to Wade, hovering above him. It was rude to wake people…but he was feeling, well, _frisky_. He laughed to himself. Such a silly word.

He leaned down and blew gently on Wade's ear, and bit his lip against some soft giggles as he twitched. Then he leaned so just the tips of his hair brushed his face. Wade stirred and Corey pulled back as he waved a hand in front of his face. He watched him wake up. When Wade discovered him he looked slightly nervous. "Whatchu doin' Coree?" Corey shrugged and smiled. Wade yawned. "Kay. That's cool." Corey moved as he stretched his legs out. Wade sat there for a good minute before moving. He stumbled down the hall supposedly to bathroom, then over into the kitchen where he turned on the TV and dug around in the cabinets. Corey watched him propped against the couch.

"Yew wanna poptart?" Wade asked him. Corey nodded.

Wade vegetated on the couch watching TV and after a bit of that Corey got up and looked about the place. It was a mess. He started cleaning. It began as rearranging things into stacks on the counter, throwing out beer cans, paper plates, napkins… Once he found the scrubbie, he washed the dishes. Then he hunted for the cleaner and sprayed the christ out of everything. The counter was soon spotless (aside from the stacks), all major floor splatters were dealt with—he decided _not_ to touch the bathroom without gloves, so that had to wait.

Aside from not digging the sty, Corey was cleaning because, well, he felt he needed to do something nice for Trevor. Cleaning was no big thing, but it was at least something while he tried to think of what to do. He really had no idea. He didn't know Trevor _that_ well. Trevor had money—money was cheap and cold anyway—and he had drugs… Corey sighed. What did Trevor like? What did he need? What could _Corey_ give him? He thought of the smoldering look in his eyes and how they lingered too long. He shook the notion from his head, embarrassed. That wouldn't be enough. _But_ …

No. That…that sort of thing wouldn't do. It wasn't something any self-respecting person gave as thanks. Now what could he _really_ do? What _else_ did Trevor want?

And so he continued to clean. Because he didn't know where everything went, Corey simply stacked things neatly wherever he found them lying about (that way Trevor'd surely still know where everything was).

He found the _Hustler_ magazine still under the couch and picked it up. He didn't know if it was Wade's or Trevor's, but seeing as Trevor had the only room, it was going in there.

Corey entered cautiously. The bed was totally disheveled. He found the small trash can and began throwing away a copious amount of tissues, and cigarette butts and—tissues? There were two things men used tissues for, and Trevor didn't have a runny nose, so… Well, too late… He'd just wash his hands. Thoroughly.

He straightened the bedcovers, kicked what he assumed to be dirty clothes into one pile, and he tidied up the nightstand where he set the magazine. He didn't do too much else. Lots of people didn't like their stuff being messed with.

Finally, he excused himself back to his uncle's to shower, get changed and whatnot. He put on his "Silence is Golden" t-shirt and brushed his hair. Steven had the day off and when he saw Corey, he asked, "Yo, where you been?" Corey was surprised he asked and a little uneasy. Harmless question, but they weren't buddies or anything. Wasn't really his business.

He had a dry erase board that he didn't like to carry around that he found and picked up to write on.

_ _With friends_._

"Who? Didn't think you knew anyone around here."

_ _Trevor and Wade_ _

"No way. Crazy T? and that juggalo kid? You hangin' with them?" Corey nodded. He'd sort of forgotten that Trevor mentioned knowing and selling to him. "Damn… No offense, they don't seem like your type of people. How'd you get mixed up with them? T-man's especially hardcore, ya know? Well, I guess you know." Corey gave a shrug.

_ _Long story_ _

"That's cool," he conceded with a shrug before lighting up a cigarette. Corey shoved a few things into a small bag, including the board, grabbed something to eat, then was on his way back to Trevor's.

He barely made it out of the house before he was intercepted by two men in suits strolling up to the place. He knew them. He slowed his walk as he descended the stairs and looked between them nervously. Why were _they_ here? Joey and Paul. Two men in their early fourties. Friends of the family. Mobsters. Joey smiled.

"Hey, kid. How's it hangin'?" Corey smiled and shrugged. "We been lookin' for you." They both shook his hand firmly. "Long time no see," Joey gave Corey a friendly fist bump across the chin. Corey grinned. He swung the bag around and took out the dry-erase.

"We're just checking up on you, making sure everything's copacetic over here." Corey gave a shrug and nod.

 __Yeah, everything's fine__

"You sure?" Nod. "Good to hear." They began to meander along the road.

"So, that thing with your dad…that, uh…any o' that true?" Corey hesitated. He finally nodded.

Then he wrote _ _All and more_ _ Joey and Paul looked between each other.

"Sorry to hear that, kid." They pat him on the back. "You do know that if you ever need anything, you can come to us? It's not just your old man and Victor. You, and little Eric too. All you guys can come to us with _anything_." Corey sighed.

 __Thanks__

"Sure kid. Sure."

 __How's Eric?__

"He's uh, he seems good. A little nervous, but we're keeping tabs on 'im. Doctor says his arm's healin' up nicely."

 __Good__

"How long you stayin all the way out here?" he gestured around. Corey raised his eyebrows and gave a dramatic shrug.

 __No idea__

"Kinda bites out here. No offense." Corey snorted.

 __Totally__ Some cars passed and they crossed the street.

"I hear some people are plannin' to pay you a visit, ask some questions." Corey gave a look of exasperation and rubbed his face.

_ _Who?__

"Child services. They really been puttin' it to your mother." Corey smirked. Good. "Now I think they want a crack at you. Victor won't talk to 'em." A truck roared loudly behind them and Corey listed further away from the road while his two companions glanced back. He wondered when they'd be showing up to talk to him. He'd grown up to hold secrecy in the highest regard, but he didn't think he could betray his brother like that. His dad needed to go down. The truck blew past and suddenly whipped around in front of them. Corey flinched. His eyes widened. _Trevor._

The man jumped out and came towards them. "What the hell is this?" Joey asked, staring at him. Corey was afraid to answer.

"Hey, hey hey. Where you goin' with my friend here?" he asked with an air of false concern.

"None of your business," Paul spelled it out for him and asked Corey, "Who the fuck is this guy?"

"Whoa! What's with the attitude amigos? I am just concerned that these two strange men I've NEVER MET before are escorting my silent friend here. Is that so wrong?"

"With all due respect, _pal_ , buzz off. Aright? This is a family matter here. There's no need for concern."

"Ohh," Trevor threw up his hands. "My bad. Sorry about that guys…didn't mean to get in _between_ you. No hard feelings." He held his hand out amicably for a shake. Then his face transformed into a scowl as he cocked his arm back and decked Paul.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Joey drew his gun immediately. "Back off! Get the fuck away right now, you maniac!"

"Oh! So that's how we're gonna play!" Trevor announced before pulling out his own gun.

"JESUS!"

"Alright!" Trevor shouted in acceptance of this duel.

"MM!" Corey paled and lunged in front of Trevor and wrangled his gun arm, struggling to lower it. He held his hand out to Joey and Paul to stay them, and looked up at Trevor, shaking his head desperately. He mouthed "please" at him. He was shaking. If anyone got antsy, he could get shot. Any one of them could get shot, and he didn't want that. But he had no way to even defend himself. He was right in the middle of this. He could die today.

"The hell's your PROBLEM!" Paul punctuated at him with the gun.

" _YOU_ schmucks! Are my problem!"

"Corey, get away from that psycho!" Joey commanded. Trevor grabbed Corey and pulled him to his side.

"Corey. Do NOT get away from that psycho," Trevor growled, gun still pointed.

"Let the kid go!" Trevor's hand gripped Corey's waist firmly.

"Who are you to tell ME what to do?!" If he wasn't so scared, he would have been embarrassed at how he was being handled in front of the other two.

"We're the MOB, you jackass!"

"Well, whoop-di-freakin-doo! I'm the CEO of Trevor Philips Industries and the way I see it: _you're_ in MY territory. I fucked up the Lost and I'll fuck you up too. You don't give me orders—I give YOU orders. And I want your _greasy_ asses OUTTA MY TOWN!"

"You let him go first, and we'll leave, okay?"

"Fuck youuu," Trevor replied. Corey tried to pull away, but Trevor wouldn't let him go. His dry-erase was on the ground a few feet away. He reached for it, but Trevor didn't seem to care.

"Hey. Will you at least," Joey tilted his head at the board, "let him say something?"

"I don't think he has anything to say to you. And anything he has to say to me can wait til you're gone." Corey felt helpless. He couldn't just shout out what was in his head like everyone else. He couldn't say what he needed to. So he looked at Joey and Paul, motioned to himself and made the 'ok' sign before giving a half-hearted wave.

"You sure?" Corey nodded.

"See? He's fiiiiine. Now go! Vamoose! Before you make me do something I won't regret." Corey closed his eyes and sighed. They left with promises that they'd contact him later. Corey put a hand to his head. He was still shaking.

"Who the fuck were those guys?" Corey gawked at him, then made an impatient gesture. After all that, he asks _that_?! Trevor kicked his board over to him. Corey stooped to pick it up and wrote: _ _THE MOB. My dad's involved with them. What the hell were you thinking?!_ _

"What'd they want?"

_ _To talk to me! About family stuff! About my brothers and my dad etc! It was important!__

"Hey!" Trevor held him by the back of his neck and pointed at him. "Watch the attitude." Corey stared back with renewed anxiety, then wrote: _ _sorry_ _. Trevor let him go.

"Lemme see your phone." Corey handed it to him reluctantly. Trevor snapped it, tossed it to the ground and stomped on it. Corey jumped back and stared wide-eyed. He looked at Trevor and made a sound of indignation. Trevor unzipped his fly and pissed on the remains. Corey turned and walked a few paces away, rubbing his face. He could not believe this right now.

"Aaahhhhh…" What. The. Fuck? When he heard the sound of his fly zipping up, Corey turned again. Trevor picked up Corey's bag.

"Let's go." Corey stared at him in disbelief. He was pissed and freaked. That was one of his only ways of talking and the only way anyone could get in contact with him. What if something happened at home, and he'd never know?

Corey continued to give him incredulous stares the whole half-minute ride to his trailer and on their way inside. Wade was still there and before he could greet them, Trevor announced, "I was thinking it was about time we returned to the mission at hand. Wade: ready yourself. We leave for Los Santos!" They were leaving?

"When? Right now?"

"No, next week—YES NOW!" Trevor stalked off to his room and paused in the doorway. He turned around and walked back into the living room. He looked around, eyebrows raised. Corey looked around too. Oh yeah.

"Wow, Wade, I'm impressed," he said as he took in the much-improved interior.

"Oh, that wasn't me, that was Corey."

"No shit, Wade. Maybe you should follow his example." He ruffled Corey's hair and Corey grinned a little. He was still upset, though.

"He's real good cleanin'; maybe he should be our maid." Corey started and blushed indignantly.

"That's not a bad idea. We'll get him a dress and everything." Corey balked.

"Does that mean, I won't have to wear the dress anymore?"

"We'll see," Trevor went back to his room again. That was worrisome. He was gay, but he'd never gotten into cross-dressing and he was fine with that. _Wait. Los Santos?_ He grabbed his board and paced to Trevor's room, scribbling down: _ _You're going to Los Santos?__ He knocked on the door frame and showed him.

" _We're_ going to Los Santos."

_ _Me..?__

"Yes. _You_ are part of _t_ _he 'we'_." Corey shook his head slowly.

 __No…I have to stay here.__

"Says who? The parents who sent you out to the middle of nowhere and left you to rot? Listen: if I didn't say it, then it doesn't matter."

 __But I can't. They need to know where I am and now they can't CALL ME. If I had my phone, maybe…What if something happens and they need to tell me something?__

"Well I guess too fucking bad. They had their chance." Corey huffed, accepting defeat.

_ _When are you leaving?__

" _We_ are leaving as soon as I say so. Now shut up, I'm trying to think." Corey stalked away, erasing the board and shoved it in his bag. He was going to go back to his uncle's and tell _someone_ that he was going on a trip…or something. Fuck Trevor. This was stupid. He went out the door and stormed out of the yard, still shaking slightly. He heard the door slam back open and he froze immediately. Frustration and anxiety had clouded his mind. He forgot the most important rule: fear Trevor above all else.

Fear replaced irritation as he turned. "Where the FUCK do you think _you're_ going?" Corey looked up at him pitifully. It was useless to try to explain, so he shrugged and shook his head, trudging back over to him. "That's what I fuckin' thought." Corey stopped just out of arms reach and looked at him with a practiced look of exaggerated guilt. "Yeah, that's right, now get in. I'm not in the mood." He slammed the door behind them. "Can't be worrying about where the fuck you're at." That's right. Corey pulled out his board.

_ _How long are we going to Los Santos for?__

"A while."

_ _Shouldn't I bring some clothes?__

" _Fine_. Go home, get your _clothes_ —get anything else you might need, and come back. I don't want to _read_ any bitching from you that you forgot something." Corey folded his arms. "I don't wanna _see_ any either. I'll give you a spanking to remember." Corey grew a little warm and looked away.

_ _I promise I'll be right back_ _

"You fuckin' better." Trevor turned and left him to it.


	8. Business Meeting

**A/N:** It's certainly been a while. Sorry for the wait!

 **Ch.8**

 **Business Meeting  
**

When they arrived at their destination, an apartment building in Vespucci Beach, Corey felt awful and was glad to be finally out of the car. They hadn't left last night when Trevor said. Instead, he'd received a rude awakening that morning that he wouldn't recover from til he slept again. He'd also gotten to confirm that Trevor was a somewhat terrifying driver, though he had to admit it was a little exhilarating.

The door had just swung open when pushed and Trevor waltzed on in. He'd asked Wade where they were going during the car ride and he'd answered that it was his cousin's. However, there was no one there when they entered and Trevor went about making himself at home. It was a nice little place except for a few rough-love places, like some large faded stains…writing on the wall…

 __Where's Floyd?__ Corey asked.

"Probly at werk," Wade answered with a shrug. Corey nodded, again laden with discomfort that had seemed to become the norm since moving to Sandy Shores. Just one thing right after the other.

Trevor paced through the house, and soon he could be heard talking on the phone. Corey looked around the place while no one was there to stop him, peeking into each room. He found a bear missing an eye with a pair of pink panties. Corey looked at it quizzically and had to inspect more closely. That was very bizarre. He turned away again.

A minute later, Trevor strode quickly through the house and up to Corey who flinched lightly before turning to him. "It's settled! I've arranged for you to meet with a good friend of mine tomorrow." Corey blinked and tilted his head. "Oh, you'll see." He patted Corey on the shoulder. "Big things are gonna start happening for you, my friend." Corey raised an eyebrow and made a face as he continued past him.

_ _So what are we doing here?_ _

"This is where we're _staying_ while we take care of some business." Corey mouthed 'Ohh' and gave a slow nod. That made sense. Wait.

By the time Corey wrote down his next question, Trevor was a mile away and he had to chase him down again. _ _What business?_ _

"You'll see." Corey huffed and looked impatiently at him. "Don't give me that sass." A small grin pulled at the corner of his mouth despite his irritation. Trevor smirked and walked away again. Increasingly, Corey found himself experiencing frustration with his inability to participate in argument. Normally he was fine with it. Saying things usually seemed like a waste of time to him. The people around him wouldn't listen to him even if he could but it felt different with Trevor. He realized he had more that he actually wanted to say to Trevor. With Trevor's secrecy and occasionally insufferable attitude, Corey felt like he was going to burst with all the pent up words he never got to say.

For the time being, however, Corey put that aside—he had to—and settled down with his handheld with Wade watching over his shoulder.

…

Later that evening as they were sitting all cozy with each other Corey heard the door. His attention was immediately taken and he looked in the general direction, waiting. "He-hello?" a nervous voice called out and soon after a meek, red-haired fellow in jeans and a flannel shirt neatly tucked came into view. He seized. "T-t-trevor! W-wha-what are you doin' here? I thought you we-we-went back home."

"Well, I'm _back_ Floyd! Aren't you happy to see me?"

"W-well, um, i-it's not—I just—" he stammered as Trevor sauntered over to him and pulled him into a manly bear hug, slapping him on the back. He pulled back and seized his shoulders.

"I missed you, Floyd! How ya been?"

"W-well, I had been doing better…"

"Great!"

"It's just…Debra will be back any day—"

"Oh, Debra-schmebra! Relax! You worry too much." Trevor meandered away from him, leaving the poor man looking rattled and confused. Their eyes met and Corey gave a small nod. Floyd looked defeated and nervous.

"Uh, wh-who are you? If ya don't mind my asking?"

"That's Coree," Wade drawled for him and Corey was somewhat surprised he'd been paying attention. Then again, he did seem to like being included in things despite being drugged out of his mind most of the time. "He don't talk so he just writes stuff." Corey stood and approached with his hand out.

"I-it's nice to meetcha there, Corey." Corey gave a nod of agreement. He motioned for him to wait as he jotted something down.

_ _I just met Trevor and he brought me along. I have no idea what we're doing here. Maybe you could fill me in? You seem like you know each other_ _ Floyd's eyes shifted over him nervously, then jumped to the two behind him. Floyd nodded, backing up a little. He lowered his voice and looked somewhat pained when he said, "Let's talk somewhere more private." Corey nodded.

They convened in the bedroom. "C-can I at least ask first what you're doing with him?" Corey shrugged.

_ _I met Wade, and then I met Trevor and Trevor hasn't left me alone since_ _ Floyd nodded.

"Yep…" he seemed lost in a maze of terrible thoughts, eyes darting along the floor. Corey lifted an eyebrow, puzzled and worried. Clearly Trevor was pulling something here. Floyd did _not_ seem to like him.

_ _What's he staying here for? He mentioned business..?_ _

"God only knows what it could be; it's nothin' good that's for sure," he gave an definitive nod. He glanced to Corey. "Trevor's involved in some sort of illegal activities here in Los Santos. H-he just forced his way in here and made this his base. This isn't even _my_ apartment. It's my fiancé's. She'd kick me out right now if she knew everything that was goin' on here. And they're draggin' me into their misdeeds on top of it! Destroying our property…" Floyd seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "They just showed up one day, unannounced… I prayed that they wouldn't be comin' back here. Debra's the best thing that's ever happened to me. No woman's ever stuck around this long, despite my short-comings." Corey nodded sympathetically. "I don't know what I'm gonna do when she comes back and he's still here." Corey sighed and patted his shoulder. "So, y-you didn't have any knowledge of this?" Corey shook his head, then paused.

_ _I honestly don't know much besides the fact that he's shady. I can do something that he likes, but I don't know how and if he'll have me do it._ _ Floyd gasped.

"He's not being inappropriate with you, is he?" Floyd sounded worried and horrified. Corey was surprised and confused at his sudden assumption, and a little embarrassed. He shook his head. However…it didn't seem like an unfounded fear… In fact, perhaps it's something he _should_ be bracing himself for. He'd already toed the line a bit...

_ _It's nothing like that. Though I don't really want to be involved in whatever he's doing. He's hard to say no to._ _

"Oh, d-don't I know it…" he stammered lightly, but sincerely. "S-so how well do you know Trevor? Is he—how should I say this—w-what's he like to you?"

_ _um. scary. But, I feel like maybe the worst is over? He did some good stuff for me and likes me…I guess. He's hard to handle sometimes and till forces me to do whatever he wants.__

"Yeah…sounds about right." He blinked his eyes and sniffed, rubbing his hands together slowly. "T-to be honest, Trevor scares the hell outta me. I don't know what to do about him, but he can't keep staying here." Floyd bowed his head and shook it slowly. Corey looked helplessly at him and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't tell him I'm sayin' any of this though." Corey quickly agreed.

"Knock knock!" Trevor pushed the door open and Floyd seized up like a frightened rabbit. Corey was a bit startled too, but he was a bit more concerned about Floyd. Trevor took a look at the two of them. "You two jerkin' each other off in here?" Corey furrowed his brows, setting his mouth in a thin line before rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "I expect to be invited to those sorts of things." Floyd's head fell back as he looked up to the ceiling, probably up to whatever divinity he believed in. Then he stood.

"E-excuse me…" he muttered. Trevor watched as Floyd nervously retreated around him and left the room.

"Bit of a prude isn't he?" Corey shrugged. "You can do better than him anyway." Corey rolled his eyes and waved him away. Trevor gave a laugh and ruffled his hair roughly. Corey leaned back and gave him a playful shove, fixing his hair. Trevor shoved him back, sitting on the bed with him. Corey made a face at him. Trevor grinned, getting a strange look in his eyes. They traced over him unhurriedly. Corey began to feel uncomfortable. He let out a small sound, trying to get his attention back. He rubbed his stomach as he looked at him expectantly.

"You hungry?" Trevor breathed, still acting a little unusual. Corey nodded. Starving was more like it. Trevor stared down at him, then slowly sucked his lower lip between his teeth before releasing it with a pop. "Alright. I gotta pick up some booze anyway. Come on." He stood. Corey eagerly got up after him.

…

As it grew late, and Corey grew evermore exhausted, he became preoccupied with the matter of sleep and where he was going to do that. Floyd gave him permission to sleep in the guest bedroom with the stipulation, "Just…don't go through the drawers…that's all Debra's stuff." Corey agreed, fully intending to go through everything at some point. Corey bid him good night and went to lie down. He was out quickly.

…

Corey woke up the next morning feeling surprisingly rested for sleeping in a strange bed. He looked over towards the light breathing coming from next to him. Wade had come in at some point in the night and shook him awake to ask if it was alright if he slept with him. It had been rather startling and it took a few minutes to settle his heart back down.

Wade was still quite asleep and smelled like he could use a shower. Corey felt like he could use one too. He lied there for a little before getting up. He was really hungry too. He sought Trevor out to let him know of his plight.

However, when he found Trevor on the couch—"Good _morning,_ Sunshine!"—the man appeared to already have a solution to his problem as he reached into a paper bag and tossed a breakfast sandwich at him. Corey was impressed and pleased. He grinned and sat next to him before forming a heart of thanks with his fingers. He devoured it and Trevor offered him another.

After his hunger and thirst were satiated, he inquired into Floyd's whereabouts and found that he'd already left for work. He'd have to settle for asking Trevor, then.

_ _Is it okay if I use the shower?_ _

"You can do whatever the fuck you want," Trevor assured him, tossing the note aside, eyes on the TV. Corey gave a small nod and got up. He figured that's about the answer he'd get, but he had to at least try to be respectful.

Partway through his shower he heard Wade's muffled voice call out to him pathetically. He didn't hear the first bit, but he caught the rest: "I really gotta pee! Please Corey?" followed by the rattling of the handle. Of course, he couldn't answer him back, so somewhat irritated he hurried to shut off the water and cover himself with a towel before unlocking the door. He was dripping all over the floor, he noticed with disdain. "Thanks," Wade said before moving past him. He didn't wait for Corey to leave or anything before dragging his fly down. Corey looked away, shaking his head, and returned to the shower. If Wade didn't care, he supposed he didn't either, but god his life was getting weird.

And Wade didn't shut the door after he left. Ugh.

…

A few hours later Corey found himself pulled up in one and a half parking spaces with Trevor near the beach shops to meet his friend Michael. Corey had completely forgotten about the engagement til Trevor was harassing him out the door.

He followed Trevor along, not knowing where they were headed or what his friend looked like, but soon enough, Trevor was waving his arms at someone ahead of them.

"He-hey! Mikey!" And some guy was approaching them with a look of recognition.

"Trevor. How's it going?"

"Oh it is GOING!" Trevor slapped a hand on Corey's shoulder and pushed him forward. "Michael, this is Corey."

"Nice to meet ya," Michael extended his hand forward and Corey took it giving a smile and nod. Corey was a little relieved. At least at first glance Michael seemed like a nice, normal sort of guy. "How ya doing?" he asked as their hands parted. Corey made the okay sign before gesturing to him. "Me?" Corey nodded. "I'm just peachy." He grinned a little and looked him over, shifting his weight. "…I guess you're not much of a talker."

"Ohhh. I forgot to mention," Trevor chimed in belatedly, snapping his fingers. "He can't talk."

"Oh, really? Thanks for the head's up, pal."

"Noooo problemo." Michael turned back to Corey.

"Uh, sorry about that." Corey waved him away and gave a smile. "I'm afraid my sign language is very limited," he commented, scratching his nose with his middle finger while looking at Trevor.

"Ha, ha, fuck you too." Corey smiled.

"Alright," Michael clapped his hands together, "Let's eat somethin'."

After getting settled at a table and putting their orders in, they all stared at each other and the questions began.

"So how'd you get mixed up with a psycho like him?" Michael asked, nodding over to Trevor. Trevor stared him down silently. Corey raised his eyebrows and shifted his gaze. Finally he wrote _ _Accident_ _ He'd brought the dry erase figuring there might be frequent dialogue. Planning ahead paid off.

"Yeah, sounds about right." Especially because he could erase everything.

"What?" Corey already erased what he'd said by the time Trevor yanked the board to look at it.

"Don't worry about it. So what's he do exactly? You seemed pretty excited about it." Corey raised an eyebrow and looked at Trevor. He didn't believe he could do anything that would really inspire excitement.

"He's a rather talented pickpocket. He's very _sneaky_. And _quiet._ "

"Yeah, no kiddin'." Corey leaned back and sipped his soda, seeing as he had currently fallen into his usual role as background for the time being. "No offense, but we don't really do anything that requires that. Can he handle a gun?" Corey grew concerned by the turn of the conversation. What was this meeting about?

"Ah, it's not that hard to learn," Trevor shrugged. "He'll get it." Corey raised his brows. _I don't think I want to get it,_ he thought to himself. Michael sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"He got anything else?" Corey shook his head to himself, answering, but not sure if anyone was paying attention. But Michael happened to glance over and notice.

"He's got family in the mob." Corey pushed Trevor, eyes wide. "Oh, don't get your undies in a bunch, it's just Michael."

"Trevor," Michael gave a half-smile with his brows raised, rubbing his forehead. "You really _don't_ just go announcing that."

"Oh, fuck you."

"It's alright," Michael assured Corey. "Anyway, I'm sure your skills will come in handy. I just…wanna make sure you're up for the job. I don't want you gettin' into anything you're not ready for, or anything you're not willing to do…" Corey nodded enthusiastically. Yes. That. _Let's listen to Michael_. Trevor patted him heavily on the shoulder.

"He's ready for anything!" Corey looked at him with wide eyes. "He's got a lotta potential. He just needs people like us to show him the way."

"I think he'd be better off _without_ people like us," Michael suggested, glancing at Corey. See? He knew…

"Nonsense!"

"Well, anyway, we still gotta talk to you-know-who first."

"Yeah, yeah!" Corey flinched as he felt a sharp tug on his hair.

"Well, think it over real hard," he told Corey. "Once you're in, you're in." See, Corey tried to _avoid_ things like that. Like the mob. But he still didn't know what they were talking about. So he wrote _ _I still don't know what's going on. Trevor didn't say what this was about_._

"You're shittin' me."

"What?" Trevor asked and Corey immediately snatched the board back. He and Trevor briefly wrestled for it.

"You didn't tell him?"

"Tell him what?" Trevor asked distractedly, tugging at the board.

"Anything! He has _no idea_ what we do?" Trevor abandoned their little tug of war and Corey set about erasing it again.

"He didn't need to know yet. And until our bespectacled friend _approves_ him there's no _reason_ for him to know."

"Trevor. This is…kinda a big deal. You can't just make this decision for him."

"Ohh…I think I know him well enough. He's gonna love it. Trust me." Corey looked up helplessly at Michael and hoped Michael could read into his thoughts and see that Trevor was a big. fucking. liar.


	9. Floyd's Nightmare

**CH. 9**

 **Floyd's Nightmare**

Aside from having his life signed away to a purpose completely unknown to him, Corey had to say that that was a pleasant outing. He really liked Michael. And Trevor had drawn some lovely dick pics on his dry erase, which Corey _totally_ appreciated. Speaking of Trevor, he seemed to be in really good spirits and even bought him an ice cream, going on about how he was excited for him to be part of the team, and profuse assurances that he'd enjoy working with them. Even though Trevor was wrong and a liar, his positive attitude was infectious and a nice change for him. For the time being, Corey went along with him and even felt a little excited (though he was more curious to know what this big secret business thing was).

They walked along the beach for a bit while Corey licked at his ice cream, falling back once as Trevor spontaneously kicked at the sand. It was confusing. Trevor was a total asshole, but then he did nice stuff sometimes that made him feel good. It was hard to know how to feel about him. However, he supposed that if he was stuck with him, he might as well hold onto the good bits and make it easier on himself.

Corey nudged him and grinned up at him.

"What?" Trevor asked. Corey shrugged, continuing to grin and bumped him again. Trevor grinned back.

When they were back in the car, Corey hugged Trevor's arm and nuzzled against his shoulder to show his appreciation. Trevor smiled at him and started the truck once Corey let go.

They drove for a bit and Corey enjoyed the wind whipping through his hair, filled with the fleeting sensation of freedom. He was confused, though, when they eventually pulled up in front of a gun shop. He thought they were going home. Corey didn't move and just watched Trevor.

"Well, come on! Let's go!" Corey continued to give him confused looks as he unbuckled and exited the vehicle. Trevor led him in, hand on his shoulder; and Corey quickly found out that they were in there to buy him his first gun…

Corey wished Trevor would just stop. This was too much. He didn't want it, and though money clearly wasn't an issue what with his 'profession', Corey didn't like the idea of him spending so much on him; and he knew the more he did for him, the further indebted he would be. He was being given less and less room for argument.

Then Trevor took him to the shooting range in the back to teach him how to handle a gun. Trevor was close and made generous use of his hands to position Corey's body just right, and frequently readjusted his arms and "stabilized" his torso. If Corey didn't know any better he'd guess that Trevor was…

Focus. He needed to focus.

…

He didn't turn out too shabby for his first go with a real gun. The kick was a little off-putting, but he was sure he'd get it. If he really had to…

Despite not wanting to do this, he couldn't help feel a little something as they left. It felt good. It was like…they were bonding or something. It felt like something that should have happened with his own father…if he'd been a different man. Instead, he had Trevor: an overbearing, selfish psychopath. But when Corey earned his praise, all the negativity seemed to melt away and he wanted to keep making him proud. Right then, Trevor was pleased with his first go and Corey was elated despite himself.

Corey found himself smiling over at him again; and for the briefest instant Trevor had a somewhat gentle look on his face.

…

He woke up later that night sometime after Wade had crawled into bed with him and as he laid there half-asleep, the need to use the bathroom settled on him. He knew it was a losing battle, but he still laid there and debated with himself for a bit, weighing the need against the comfortableness of the bed. But, of course, it ended the same way it always did—the only way that it could: with him getting up grumpily and going to relieve himself.

Amidst the silence of the house he could hear every minute creak and shift and he thought he heard the faint sound of voices as he passed through the space, but when he listened more closely there was only silence. When he exited the bathroom, he heard the voices again, but louder. Definitely Trevor. He crept slowly, silently towards Floyd's room where he heard the voices. He thought he heard a whimpering voice. Corey's heart stuttered and he felt adrenaline prickle through his body. He stood beside the door as his heart thumped and listened to the sounds of Trevor coaxing and Floyd—was he crying?—protesting in a concerning tone of voice, pleading with Trevor. Trevor shushed him. Corey backed up, staring at the door in bewilderment and fear. His hands felt clammy and his stomach didn't feel right. He didn't like what it sounded like in there, but he felt paralyzed and helpless. What could he do? He couldn't go in there. He wasn't supposed to know… He couldn't stop him even if he wanted… What if he grew angry with him for bursting in? Corey backed up further. But Floyd needed help. At least, it sounded like it. If he could just… Corey whipped around, looking about. He needed to do something fast. He needed something loud, something alarming…

He threw open the kitchen cabinets, and snatched out a tall glass, hands trembling around it. He inhaled sharply before cocking his arm back and throwing it to the ground. It shattered around his bare feet and he flinched against the piercing sound. He stood frozen, waiting, shaking, _hoping_ desperately that Trevor came out to investigate.

He jumped when he heard the door slam open and the hair prickled over his body. He stood there waiting. A light came on and Corey squinted against it. Then came a heavy sigh. Corey looked over to see Trevor lowering a gun. "Jesus Christ." Corey felt nauseas. "What the fuck are you doing?" Corey just stared at him standing there in nothing but underwear and socks, still caught in a limbo of disbelief and horror. Did Trevor really try to _rape_ Floyd? He knew he was a bad guy, but he wouldn't go that far right? He wouldn't just straight up rape someone, right? Especially, with the things that had happened before. He'd seemed against it…

Trevor lost patience with his silence. "Just go back to bed." Trevor stepped back and made to turn. Corey went over to him quickly and grabbed his arm. He tugged a little. "What? The fuck do you want?" He jerked his arm out of Corey's grasp. Corey gestured to the both of them and then in the direction of the bedroom. Trevor stared at him with a mixture of confusion and irritation. Corey did it again, but added in a mime of sleeping with his hands pressed together beside his face. Just then Corey saw Floyd creep into view. "Fine! Whatever the fuck you want. Move it, come on! Let's _go!_ " Floyd looked around at the floor. Corey motioned to Trevor to wait and gestured around at the glass on the floor. Trevor rolled his eyes and stormed off. Floyd nearly tripped over himself backing up as far away as he could. Then he crept closer again. He was a mess. Corey mimed a broom and dust pan. Floyd pointed wordlessly behind him. Corey looked, then nodded. He carefully walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Floyd flinched away. Corey pointed at him and made the okay sign while giving him a questioning look. Floyd shook his head and let out a whimper. Corey put a finger to his lips and waved him away back to his room, moving insistently, and tried to convey that it'd be alright. Floyd hesitated, but eventually he retreated back to his room. Corey hoped he locked the door.

He swept up the glass and Trevor returned and stared at him as he finished. Corey hurried to get to him, before he went off to Floyd again. Corey grabbed his arm and led him back to the room. He threw back the covers and got in, patting the bed eagerly in invitation. Trevor rolled onto the mattress and laid there as Corey covered the both of them again. Corey hadn't thought of it until then, but he wondered if Trevor would try to force himself on him since he'd interrupted. Corey put an arm over him and held him tightly. He didn't want Trevor to do that again. Trevor didn't respond to his clinging, but he turned out to be very restless. He didn't try to force himself on him, however, and after being kept awake with worry for too long, he finally drifted off to sleep.

…

Corey made breakfast for them and tried to suck up to Trevor for interrupting him. He watched him carefully. He seemed to act normal. He didn't mention anything about that night. When they went out shooting again in an abandoned expanse of land, he acted just as before. Trevor didn't seem like there was anything bugging him. That was a relief but Corey still didn't feel at ease and the next couple of nights, he insisted Trevor to bed with him for fear of what he might do when he wasn't around to watch. Wade was subsequently demoted to the couch.

It was a little frustrating: Trevor couldn't lie still, and he clearly wasn't much into sleeping usually. But it wasn't all bad either. Sometimes he would roll onto his side and spoon him, arm over his side. Above all, Corey felt relief that Trevor was there and not hurting Floyd. The thought still confused him. He wondered why. He thought of how Trevor came to his aid when he'd been nearly raped and wondered how Trevor could contradict himself like that. It didn't make sense. He'd seemed so against it, yet it seemed like he'd tried to do the same to Floyd. Corey didn't like thinking about it.

It was nearly a week after meeting up with Michael that Trevor had another outing planned for him. Without any sort of heads up, Trevor had come over to him insisting he get ready to leave. Corey had given him a confused look and then Trevor informed him that he'd be meeting the aforementioned "you-know-who". Corey was hesitant to say the least. They were apparently going to be having a meeting about whatever it is they did and Trevor thought this would be an excellent time to make introduction and Corey could see how this all worked.

So when they pulled up to the building and went inside, up the stairs, Corey still didn't know what to expect. All he knew was that "Lester," the guy pulling the strings was a stuffy geek with a bad attitude.

When they entered the room, he saw three people, two of which he didn't recognize, but when Michael looked over, Corey raised his hand about shoulder height and fanned out his fingers in greeting. However, Corey saw immediately that something wasn't right as everyone looked to be varying degrees of surprised and disgruntled. Despite this, Michael still gave him a nod and a small smile. Corey held his arm as he gazed around and wondered what Trevor had gotten him into. He felt like he shouldn't be there.

He knew who Lester had to be as he was the only one standing up and seemed to have a marked look of distaste on his face as he looked Corey over. Corey looked up at Trevor, feeling a little angry. He really shouldn't do things like this: bring him where he's not wanted. It sounded like whatever they did was a big deal and needed to be secret, he couldn't just bring him in like this!

"Oh…you're a new face. I wasn't expecting an audience," Lester looked at him unhappily. "I hope you have a good reason for this," he addressed to Trevor who gave him the finger. "Hm. Okay. So what's your name?" Corey looked up to Trevor, needing his voice.

"This is Corey," Trevor announced for him, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Mm." Lester turned.

"He's _my_ Franklin. He's gonna see how we roll today." He directed Corey to a chair. Lester pinched the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

"Seriously?" Michael asked over at him.

"Fine," Lester cut in. Trevor sat.

Corey very quickly realized why this needed to be secret. This wasn't small crime. This was the big stuff. Elaborate plans to break in—bank heists! He just faded into the background as everyone around him talked—protested, questioned, cursed… He had to be a part of this now. Once again Trevor had forced his hand. Corey didn't want to be offed, so he had to join them. He knew too much. He hated Trevor a little bit more and he just stared at the floor miserably.

"So everyone got that? You all know what you're doing?"

"Yep, loud and clear."

"Good. One more thing, I'd like to speak to the two of you real quick." Corey glanced up. He missed who he'd been referring to.

"Yeah, sure, uh…" Michael answered, looking around at him and the guy sitting next to him. "Franklin, you mind hangin' out with Corey for a few?"

"Yeah, no problem," he shrugged and Michael whispered something further to him. "Oh. Okay, I gotchu," Franklin responded quietly. Corey glanced around in confusion before slowly standing. Franklin approached, making eye contact, before opening the door. "C'mon man." Corey glanced briefly at Trevor before letting himself be escorted out. They had a very quiet walk back down to the first level.

"So, you in with Trevor, huh?" he asked finally. Corey shrugged. "Never heard him mention you before." Corey sighed heavily and scribbled down _ _we just met a couple weeks ago_._ Franklin looked surprised then troubled.

"And he already trusts you?"

_ _Well I either have to be trustworthy or I'm dead I guess_ _

"For real?" Corey shrugged. Probably.

_ _I don't really have much of a choice_._

"You mind me askin' how you met? I can see you looked thrilled about it."

_ _My family's going through some stuff so I was staying in Sandy Shores with uncle and ran into Trevor. He inducted me into his circle and kidnapped me! I never know wtf is going on_ _

"Whoa, like…he kidnap you, kidnap you?" Corey hesitated.

_ _More or less…I mean, I'm not supposed to be home yet with the stuff going on, but I am supposed to be staying with my uncle. And Trevor broke my phone so no one has been able to contact me, and vice versa_._

"That's messed up, dawg! You need help or somethin'? I can getchu outta here if you need to."

_ _I'm afraid of what Trevor would do if you did…but my family is in the area. I'm not too worried I guess. I'd like to go home though to tell them where I am and that I don't have my phone, so they don't think I'm missing or anything. I'd also like to know what's going on n stuff._ _

"I gotchu. Well lemme know. Can I see your pen? I'll write down my number if you need help. But seriously Trevor's kinda whack." Franklin still looked disturbed. "Tho seriously 911 aint half-bad either."

Suddenly the door opened and their voices floated down the stairs. "Come on Trevor."

"Fuck youuuu, Mikey!"

"You know how this shit works!"

"Yeah, you're everyone's fucking favorite! God forbid I have a little assistant!"

"Are you jealous of Franklin?"

" _Noooooo!_ "

"Oh my god, you are!"

"Why the FUCK would I be jealous about that?"

"I dunno. You tell me, prick."

"All I wanted was to bring some fresh talent onto the team—and THIS is the _thanks_ I get!"

"Just admit it, Trevor. You're jealous!" Trevor landed at the bottom of the stairs with a slam.

"FUCK _you_." Trevor stalked over to Corey and grabbed his arm. "Let's go." Before they were out the door, Trevor called over his shoulder, "Watch out Frankie! You're about to have some compe _tion_!"

…

As Trevor pulled him away, Franklin lowered his voice and confronted Michael. "Trevor kidnapped that dude, you know that?" Michael's eyes widened.

" _What?_ Shit!" Michael bolted for his car.

"Where you goin' man?"

"Followin' him. I wanna know where they're going. You comin'?"

"Shit. Yeah." Franklin jogged after him as Trevor's truck revved.


	10. Family Matters

**Family Matters**

After Trevor's apparently disappointing meeting with Lester, he was grouchy and determined to prove Corey's worth to the team—something Corey found completely unnecessary. So he spent the next couple of weeks taking him all over the map to shooting ranges, abandoned buildings, and his private airfield teaching him important skills in being a good criminal: stealth, good aim, and god-awful reckless driving to keep ahead of the coppers. He became really good with a gun. He was forced to trespass on private property more or less just to see if he could do so without being caught. His thievery was also greatly exercised for his practice and Trevor's gain. On the flip side, doing doughnuts and figure eights in an abandoned lot turned out to be way more fucking fun than he thought it was going to be. He was beginning to _love_ it. Michael and Franklin showed up to some of these events to pass on their own expertise. Corey began to feel more included and it was a great feeling. They didn't have disappointment in their eyes when they looked at him.

He still had the worry gnawing at the back of his mind, however: his family. He needed to see them, but he couldn't get away from Trevor for two seconds. Trevor at times seemed very unattached and distracted, but he seemed to know the _second_ Corey thought about leaving. One evening, Corey had been seriously considering slipping out the front door as Trevor seemed completely in his own world: hadn't said a word to him or anyone in hours. But the moment Corey moved towards that end of the house, Trevor asked, "Where you slinking off to?" Corey had just shrugged and casually continued to wander the house to throw him off. After that, Corey felt like a prisoner. He didn't like it. He wasn't sure if he was forbidden from leaving by himself _ever_ , but it seemed like it. Then he had to wonder: if Wade could leave, why couldn't _he_?

That night as he worried over this, he found himself tucked under Trevor's arm on the couch, trying not to lean away from the pungent odor of manly sweat and miscellaneous wafting from his pits. Wade was passed out against the couch at their feet, snoring lightly. Floyd was locked in his room as per usual. A long silence had passed, murmured over by the low chatter of the TV. Wade was no longer awake to interrupt it. But finally Trevor's arm shifted and he cleared his throat.

"So…I've been meaning to ask ya… How is everything at home?" A heaviness settled over him and his eyes continued to gaze soullessly into the flickering light of the television. He gave a shrug. "Come ooon. You can tell me!" he squeezed his arm around him. Corey hesitated before reluctantly pulling out his notepad.

_ _it's fine_ _

"Just fine?" Corey nodded. "Come on details, details!" he snapped repeatedly. "What does 'fine' _really_ mean?" Corey thought about it. It's not really a conversation he felt like having with Trevor. Or anyone really. It was uncomfortable and he didn't take Trevor to be a sympathetic pr patient listener. Though he was more patient than most, actually giving him a chance to be part of a conversation.

 __it's how it's always been. we don't have any connection and it's been worse since my dad was arrested__

"Givin you any trouble?"

 __Not really…but I haven't talked to them in a month I think__

"Feelin a little homesick?"

 __No…__

"No?" he shook his head.

 __Don't really like home__

"Why not?" He was quiet, then decided not to answer and looked away. "Ah-ah-ah…" Trevor slowly, gently turned his face towards him again. "Why..?" he repeated.

 __I don't like my parents…cuz they don't like me__

"Is that so?" Corey nodded, looking at the floor. Trevor's arm curled around him and shook him a little. "How could they not…like a bright young man like you?" Corey shrugged a little.

 __He never liked me__

"Daddy dearest?" Corey gave a nod, feeling apprehensive about opening up to Trevor like that. "Dads can be tough. But surely there's a _little_ something there? No?" Corey shook his head and looked up at him. He was about to spill to him, but perhaps he shouldn't. "Why don't you tell me _all_ about it, hm?" Corey thought about it more. Shook his head. "Come on." Shake. "It'll make you feel better." Putting a hand to his head as the angst was dredged up from his memory, he told Trevor what he wanted to know.

 __He liked to beat me when I was a child. He still does__ He felt shame at the admission. __He'd tell me how stupid I was and that I should just shut up__ he felt a hint of wetness well in his eyes, but he didn't cry __cuz no one wanted to hear me__ He sniffled. Corey bent over his knees, holding his forehead. Trevor's fingers drummed against his arm.

"So you _did_ talk?"

 __Not since I was 6 or 7. I don't even remember it.__

"That's a long time." Corey gazed down at the coffee table. "But, _hey_ ," Trevor pulled him to his chest. "It's alright. Everything's gonna be okay." Corey leaned against him and avoided his gaze.

"They never loved you did they? What kind of father would talk to his little boy that way?" Corey gritted his teeth. "You don't feel like you belong anywhere, do you?" he asked gently. This was all part of his game, but Corey didn't want to continue being strong and stonewalling all the time, so he gave a nod, upset with himself for being upset in front of him. He was the wolf. And he was going to devour him. "Your parents cast you out, and your relatives only took you out of obligation… Nobody wants you." Corey felt a pang in his chest. Trevor abruptly pulled away and turned him to face him. "But you cal forget _aaallll_ about that. You have me now, and I'll take care of you. _I_ want you." Corey looked up at him. _You want me?_ He didn't communicate that in any sort of words, but still, Trevor nodded and murmured , "Yes… you're a smart, talented young man," he slapped him on the back and Corey shot him a look. "I could teach you so much. No one can stop us!" He sounded so confident, so excited. "Just you wait. You've gotta _whole_ new life ahead of you. It's gonna be great!"

Corey closed the small distance between them and embraced him, and as Trevor ruffled his hair and squeezed him, he felt safe. "Everything's gonna change for you, Buckaroo."

…

"Looks like its bedtime." Corey blinked his eyes open. "Come on." Trevor stood up and Corey watched after him. Trevor paused and looked back. "You comin'?" Confused, Corey stood and followed. Tweeking as much as he did, Corey didn't know him to sleep much, so the invitation to bed was a surprise. And the invitation itself was a surprise. Trevor was rather solitary when he wasn't all 'Go Team Trevor!' about stuff.

Trevor kicked off his shoes and socks and flopped into bed. Again, Corey just watched, treading closer, not sure if Trevor was _really_ inviting him to share the bed. Trevor patted a space on the bed. "You need an engraved invitation or somethin'? Let's go, pumpkin!" Corey rolled his eyes up before taking his shirt off. "Mm. Lookin' good." Corey glanced at him and blushed, drawing his shirt to himself. "Now I gotta warn ya, I can get real snuggly," he said as Corey approached. Corey smiled a bit and shrugged, giving the okay sign.

As he turned and sat on the bed, Trevor's hand on his back stopped him. He looked over his shoulder and felt his rough fingers trace over him. He shivered.

"What…are these?" he murmured. No one but his family had ever seen his scars and so he was taken by surprise and wasn't prepared with an answer as Trevor eyed the long white scars cross-hatching his back. But he figured he'd shit-talked his dad enough already. He didn't need to hide this. He stared at the floor, fingers feeling over the shirt still clutched in his hands. He set it aside in favor of his notepad.

 __Dad's belt.__ Those were times he particularly tried not to remember.

"No shit?" His rough fingers traced lower. "Real _Father of the Year_ material, isn't he?" Trevor breathed warmly against his bare shoulder. Corey gazed down, shoulders slumping forward. "Did he do this often?" Corey shrugged and gave a nod. _Til I bled._ He remembered how it hurt, the sting, the itching and the pulling as it scabbed across his back. "Well," Trevor pulled away and burped. "Get in, hit the light." That was anti-climatic, Corey grimaced and turned the light off. Trevor grabbed him up and few seconds later he farted. He hummed in satisfaction. "Whatcha gotta say about that?" He waited a moment. "That's what I thought." Corey made a face that went unseen and shook his head.


	11. Return Home

**Return Home**

Corey had never woken with an erection pressing against his back before. That was a first. Trevor was giving him a lot of firsts; that was for sure. Most of them he would have preferred not to have. Like this one. He was a little uncomfortable. Trevor was snoring lightly near his ear, one naked, hairy leg draped over him, an arm resting heavily over his torso. Corey slowly tried to move away, but the arm and leg tightened over him. He stared out across the room in dismay.

His hips began shifting against him. He picked up pace. "Oh yeah…oh yeah…" he breathed against his neck. Trevor was…humping him. "Just hold still, precious, til I'm finished." Corey's jaw dropped. He had to wake him. He grabbed Trevor's arm and shook him. " _I said hold on!_ " he snarled. Corey stilled, breath catching, and he waited.

"Ah, that's better," Trevor sighed and got up, scratching himself and staggered out of the room. Corey stared after him. Had he been awake the whole time?!

 **…**

In hindsight, Corey thought the opposite must have been true. Trevor could have still been part asleep when he left the room, but Corey'd never know. Trevor didn't mention anything about it and Corey wasn't going to ask.

A little while later, Trevor announced he would be meeting up with Michael for a bit. And when the cat's away the mice will play. So Corey decided to take Franklin up on his offer. He charmed Wade's phone away from him and texted: _ _Hey its Corey, Can I ask a favor?_ _

 **…**

Shortly after, he abandoned Wade to the apartment as he hitched a ride with Franklin. He was going back to his parents' and _that_ he knew Trevor wouldn't like. Why, he wasn't sure, but after he went psycho on Paul and Joey, he wouldn't risk asking permission.

He left Franklin parked between his house and the neighbor's to wait for him. He gazed up at the large, two-story house and was seized with the familiar apprehension as he walked up. He knocked lightly before he entered and looked around. He heard a TV in the den, and heels clicking swiftly across the surface—the sound filled him with a sense of dread. His mother came into view with a sleek knee-length dress. Surprise broke her frown for just a second then it turned to a scowl.

"Where the hell have you been?" she demanded. "The guys were out lookin' for you! They said some psycho had you!" Corey paused thoughtfully and shrugged before handing her a pre-written note. She sighed, shoulders slumping before snatching it. "This has gotten so old. I've gotta get you back to a speech therapist." She rubbed her temple as she looked down at it.

_ _Someone broke my phone so I haven't been able to text you. I'm back in Los Santos staying with some people_._ She shrugged up her shoulders, brows drawing in.

"W-what kinda answer is this?" she gestured at it. "What 'people'? And why didn't you say anything before you left, huh? Had your uncle call me—you didn't even _tell_ him! Are you outta your fucking mind? You realize I've had child services up my ass for the last couple o weeks? I look like a fucking moron, can't tell 'em where my own goddamned son is! We're in enough trouble as it is with your father's court case and you just _disappear_! What the hell is wrong with you?" Corey stared up at her. " _Jesus!_ " She puffed away at a cigarette. "And who's this creep they were talking about?" She turned as a familiar figure strode into the room. Corey froze as the figure, his father, laid eyes on him. Why wasn't he in jail? Since when did he come back?

He paused just long enough to stare at Corey before he was stalking over. Corey flinched away and stumbled back helplessly just before the man grabbed the back of his neck—"Joseph!" his mom warned—and spun him around, running him out of the kitchen.

He shoved him and Corey stumbled before turning and backing away. His father had that mean look on his face. The look that meant someone was getting hit. "What kinda games are you playing? Huh?" he smacked him. "You little freak?" The sound rang in his ear and pain radiated through his cheek. "Your mother told you to stay with Uncle Frank!" He hit him again. "How fucking hard is that?! Huh? You stupid little shit? You're making my family look really bad right now! You're a fucking disgrace!" he screamed at him and shook him violently by the shoulders. Corey heard feet pounding down the stairs. "I could wring your fuckin' neck! What're you—"

"Dad!" his older brother interrupted. Corey glanced over. Victor?

"Stay out of it!"

"C'mon dad. Ease up. This isn't helping."

"I told you to stay out of it!" he roared. "You think _you're_ the man of the house now? Huh? Do ya?" He turned on him. "I'm the head of this house!" he jabbed at his own chest. "Not you! You listen to me, or you get the hell outta here!"

"Yes, sir." He whipped around to Corey. He grabbed him and gave him a punch to the stomach. Corey doubled over, coughing.

"I don't wanna see you right now! Get the _FUCK_ outta my face!" Victor crossed over and grabbed Corey by the arm.

"C'mon," Victor dragged him towards the front door and escorted him out.

"You okay?" Vic asked. Corey nodded miserably out of obligation as he held an arm over his midsection. "Arright. Well, I wanna know what's going on, you've got everyone up in arms around here." Unlike the rest of his family, Victor learned some sign language for Corey's sake, so he didn't have to write everything down. They stood in the driveway and Victor fixed him with a stern look, crossing his arms. "So what's goin' on?" Corey sighed deeply through his nose.

He filled him in on what he had to, trying to be vague. He wasn't sure how to tell him he'd been kidnapped, without telling him that he'd been _kidnapped_ , and he wasn't exactly sure how to explain that he needed to go back to his kidnapper despite the fact that he was clearly unstable. And as he attempted to do so, it became clear that Victor was not going for it. He wanted to know where "that maniac" was, and he wanted Corey to stay at the house. Corey told him he was staying with somebody and really didn't want to come back home yet while their dad was there, ruminating about his fuck-up and how it was everyone else's fault.

Eventually, Victor gave in (not that he could tell him what to do anyway) and insisted they get Corey a cheap, prepaid phone to stay in contact until their mom got him a new one. That was all well and good but…Franklin… Corey glanced uncertainly over his shoulder. His family wasn't too fond of 'outsiders'. He definitely wouldn't dig on Franklin being parked out in front of their place. He looked back at Victor. "Whatsa matter?" But he couldn't just disappear with Victor and leave Franklin there to wonder. Corey signed that he was with someone. "What? Who?"

_ _He's my ride.__ Victor followed Corey closely as they approached the car. Franklin got out as they neared. Corey gave him a wave with a strained smile. "Who are you?" Victor asked without preamble. He treated Corey better than their dad did, but treated strangers the same.

"Franklin. You?"

"I'm his big brother, Vic."

"Yeah… Nice to meetcha." Victor gave a short laugh.

"Thanks for bringin' him back, but, I'll be takin' him back. Where's he stayin'?"

"You sure man? It's no problem, I—"

"Yeah. I've gotta take him somewhere first. So just gimme the address." Corey panicked. He didn't want to take him back to where they were staying. It was technically Floyd's place, but he got the feeling his family shouldn't know where he's hiding out. They were a little nosey, and with the reputation Trevor made for himself, if they catch him around the area things would get really bad.

"Yeah…sure man… Hold on." Corey gazed at him in dismay.

Franklin gave him an address, but it definitely wasn't Trevor's. Corey had no idea where that was, but he was relieved Franklin had thrown him off like that. He did want to get back to Floyd's as soon as possible though. He didn't want Trevor to come home and find him gone.

…

A little while later, they pulled up in front of a really nice house, enclosed in gates and well-maintained shrubbery. Equally nice cars were parked in the circular driveway. He was relieved to see Franklin's there. "This it?" Corey nodded. It had to be. Victor appeared to be a mix of satisfied and suspicious. "Who's house is this?" Corey didn't know, and he wasn't sure what would be best to say. _ _My friend's__ he answered vagurely and quickly left the car, signing 'thanks' and waving. No more questions. He shut the door and as he turned he heard the window roll down.

"Be safe, alright?" he called out. Corey was a little annoyed at how parental he'd become. He'd let being older and 'dad's favorite' go to his head. Now he acts like the big man, gotta watch out for everyone and be all in their business. It was okay sometimes; he just did it too much. "They're already not gonna be happy I let you go back. Stay outta trouble and text us if you go anywhere." Corey rolled his eyes and nodded as Franklin emerged from the house.

Corey was relieved to finally be inside away from his brother's over-protective gaze. But now he really needed to get home before Trevor came back. He heard a phone ring upstairs and looked up, then around admiringly at the house interior.

_ _Whose house?_ _ he asked Franklin.

"Michael's. Yo, Michael!" he called pacing over to the staircase. "You comin' down or what?" _Michael…but…_

"Yeah, I'm comin'…" Heavy footfalls descended the stairs. When his eyes came to rest upon Corey, he asked, "So, is there a problem?" Corey shook his head. "Your folks always this nosy?" Michael looked out the windows as Franklin's phone started ringing. Corey made the so-so gesture. _But if Michael is here, then Trevor is back home now too?_

"He's gone tho, right?" Franklin asked, fishing in his pocket.

"I don't see 'im." _Maybe not. He could be somewhere else. Even if he did get back home, he doesn't know how long I was out. I could have just stepped out for a bit._

"Shit, it's Trevor. The hell's he callin' me for?" he asked before answering. Corey's stomach dropped. "Hello?" He paled and looked at Michael, gesturing to himself frantically before putting his hands to the sides of his head.

"Hey, man, it's cool, calm down—" Franklin took the phone from his ear for a few moments. Corey wrote _MALL!_ and held it in front of Franklin's face. "Hey, hey! Chill! He's with me! …That's what I been tryin' to tell you! We were hangin' out." Corey stared. "We're on our way back tho alright? …Cool. Later." Franklin shook his head.

"So?" Michael pressed.

"He's cool, I guess," he shrugged. "For him, anyway."

"Alright, why don't you head on out. I'll take him back." Michael gave him a firm shake and pat on the shoulder. "See ya."

"Yeah, see ya. Be careful man," he shot at Corey. Corey nodded and waved. His hands felt clammy, and his heart thrummed. He glanced back at Michael. They should leave.

"Hold up a sec—T can wait. I wanna talk to you." He waved him over to the couch. "This thing with Trevor…it's really not safe. You need to get outta there and there's no time like the present." Michael gazed steadily at him and Corey blinked, trying hard not to look away. "That man's a monster and he will ruin your life. He hurts everyone around him, and I think you already know that. As unfortunate as that is." Corey did look down now. "He's just going to keep sucking you in and before you know it, there won't be a way out anymore. He'll get worse. He'll take over your life. Trust me. I've known him a long time. I faked my death to get away from him; and it turned out to just be a long reprieve after all that trouble." Michael shook his head. "You didn't hear me say that though." Corey nodded. "You seem like a good kid. I can tell you don't wanna be here. I don't blame you. I was outta the game for a while and got dragged back in. Run while you can. That's the best advice I can give ya." Corey shook his head and scooted close, fingers shaking as he wrote.

_ _I can't. he'll find me and I mean, he saved me once and he keeps saying that we're family. I don't wanna piss him off and I'd feel bad and…he's not always so bad. He's better than my parents…usually.__

"Jesus." Michael rubbed his face. "Just forget all this," he motioned to the board. "It's not worth it. This is how he pulls you in and traps you. He has a relationship with my _children!_ I am not comfortable with that, but there's nothing I can do. I've tried. You still have a chance." Michael dug in his pocket. He opened his wallet. "Get away from all this." He handed him a wad of money. Corey drew back shaking his head. "You can make it. You _do not_ want this." Corey continued shaking his head and refused the money.

_ _I can't! I don't know what I'd do. I can't do anything—nobody wants to deal a mute! Everyone acts like I don't exist! I could never get a job. I'd just end up being a full-time thief to scrape by_ _

"You'll figure it out, I can try to set you up with something." Corey sniffled and shook it head.

_ _I can't. and you're the only people who've ever given me a chance. Everyone thinks I'm stupid cuz I can't talk and they ignore me. I don't wanna leave you guys._ _ Michael finally pocketed his money with a sigh as Corey bowed his head to hide the wetness pooling in his eyes. Michael squeezed the back of his neck and rocked him.

"I still think you need to get out of here, but I can't make you. But I'll be here if you need anything; and if it comes to it: don't be afraid to put one between his eyes. No one'll fault you for it." Corey stared at him. That was insane. He wasn't going to kill anybody! Especially not Trevor. He couldn't. And Trevor wouldn't do anything to him that bad, would he? Trevor liked him… He wiped his eyes. "What is his hang up on you anyway?" Michael asked carefully. Corey gave another shrug. Michael sighed.

"Alright. Let's get going."


End file.
